President Maithripala Sirisena has informed Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera not to sign the Millenium Corporation Challenge (MCC) grant agreement before the next Presidential election.

Sirisena has contacted Samaraweera over the phone this evening and instructed him to refrain from signing the deal within the next two weeks.

The President contacted the Finance Minister after a group of opposition MPs visited the former at the Presidential Secretariat today.

Sirisena had reportedly told the opposition MPs that he gave his contest to the MCC agreement at the last Cabinet meeting on the promise that it would not be signed before the Presidential election.

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, however, said yesterday that the agreement would be signed before the Presidential election.