Bofors scam charges 'yet to be proved' in court, says Pranab Mukherjee

New Delhi: Ahead of his visit to Sweden, President Pranab Mukherjee has told a Swedish daily that it is 'yet to be proved' that the Bofors gun deal was a scandal.

"First of all - it is yet to be to be established that there was a scandal. No Indian court has established it," Pranab Mukherjee said in an interview to Swedish daily Dagens Nyhetter.

"I was the defence minister of the country long after Bofors, and all my generals certified that this is one of the best guns we are having. Till today, Indian army is using it. The so-called scandal which you talk of, yes, in the media, it was there. There was a media trial. But I'm afraid, let us not be too much carried by publicity," the President said in the interview.

Read: Bofors guns are good: Manohar Parrikar

When asked whether he thought the Bofors case was just a media scandal, he said, "I do not know. I'm not describing it, you're putting that word. Don't put that word. What I am saying is that in media it was publicised. But up to now, no Indian court has given any decisive verdict about the alleged scandal."

The Bofors scandal broke in 1987 and several people, including former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, were accused of receiving kickbacks for the purchase of Bofors howitzer guns.