Connect with us

news

Treasury bond scams: Judicial process further delayed, Mahendran safe in Singapore

Published

on

‘Parliament’s response pathetic’

DEW’s 2015 COPE report never tabled

By Shamindra Ferdinando

Chairman of the Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE)   Charitha Herath said yesterday (4) that judicial process in respect of the treasury bond scams perpetrated in Feb 2015 and March 2016 had been delayed due to Sri Lanka’s inability to serve indictment on fugitive Central Bank Governor Singaporean passport holder Arjuna Mahendran.

SLPP National List MP Herath said so when The Island sought clarification with regard to the status of action taken by Parliament in that regard. Herath said that the report on treasury bond scams prepared by COPE during JVP MP Sunil Handunetti’s tenure as its Chairman was available. The data available therein were quite useful and could be utilized, the lawmaker said.

Responding to another query, one-time Media Ministry Secretary and University don Herath said that he wasn’t aware of the status of the Presidential Commission report on treasury bond scams that was handed over to Parliament.

The Island pointed out to the COPE Chairman that the report handed over in early 2018 hadn’t been debated so far though the parliament gave an assurance to that effect. MP Herath said that the Ministry of Defence, the police and the Attorney General’s Department had been involved in the process though it couldn’t be brought to a successful conclusion so far. Sri Lanka requested Singapore to deport Mahendran over a year ago. The request was made by the Defence Ministry in the second week of Sept 2019 in the run-up to the presidential election in Nov. Legal sources said that the then government took up the issue with Singapore consequent to the Permanent High Court at Bar where 10 persons, including the former Central Bank Governor, his son-in-law Arjuna Aloysius of Perpetual Treasuries Limited (PTL) and its CEO Kasun Palisena were charged with criminal misappropriation of public property. Sources said that Singapore had officially informed the government of Sri Lanka why Mahendran wouldn’t be handed over under the present circumstances. Mahendran is wanted for accepting Rs. 10.058 billion worth of bids at the 27 February 2015 auction, the first scam perpetrated within weeks after the 2015 presidential election. The then President Maithripala Sirisena replaced Mahendran with Dr. Indrajith Coormaswamy in July 2016. Former COPE Chairman Dew Gunasekera questioned the failure on the part of the Parliament to conduct a debate on the Presidential bond scam report received in January 2018. Gunasekera said that Parliament owed the country an explanation why a debate couldn’t be held for nearly three years.

Responding to The Island queries, Gunasekera said that in spite of the subject being listed in the Order Paper during the previous administration it was never taken up. The former Communist Party General Secretary pointed out that parliament should have properly taken up that issue even before receiving the treasury bond scam report. Gunasekera, who headed the 13-member special COPE subcommittee that investigated the first scam, said that he recently went through his 442 page report on the first treasury bond scam. Asked why he never submitted the report to Parliament five years after the investigation, the former Minister said that he couldn’t as the then President Sirisena dissolved parliament on the night of June 26, 2015, the day before he was to table it in the House. As the report couldn’t be presented before the dissolution, it couldn’t be tabled at all, former National List MP Gunasekera said.

“Such a valuable document never received parliamentary recognition,” the veteran leftist politician said. The CPSL General Secretary was not accommodated on the UPFA National List following the 2015 general election. Gunasekera recalled how when he questioned Mahendran in respect of the first treasury bond scam, the CBSL Governor revealed receiving instructions from Premier Wickremesinghe who held policy planning and economic affairs portfolios. Mahendran’s revelation included in the COPE report is significant as by January 18, 2015, the CBSL had been brought under Wickremesinghe, the former Minister said. Gunasekera emphasized that the CBSL shouldn’t have been removed from the Finance Ministry purview, a controversial move that was meant to effectively thwart possible intervention by President Sirisena. Gunasekera urged the Parliament to address the issue at hand.

The former minister pointed out that the treasury bond scams contributed heavily to the UNP’s crushing defeat at the last parliamentary election. Of the four UNPers summoned by the Presidential Commission, Wickremesinghe and Ravi Karunanayake suffered defeat at the last general, Malik Samarawickrema quit parliamentary politics whereas Kabir Hashim switched allegiance to the Samagi Jana Balavegaya (SJB). “Those responsible for the first scam brazenly manipulated Parliament. Imagine, they got Parliament dissolved and perpetrated the second far bigger fraud in late March 2016.

 Investigations revealed how PTL provided funds to some lawmakers though all names were never revealed.” the former minister said. Alleging that the establishment failed to properly handle the treasury bond scams, Gunasekera said, adding that the overall failure to investigate Sri Lanka’s worst post-independence financial fraud exposed the limitations in the system. However, successful system manipulation couldn’t save the UNP from its worst defeat that brought the once great party to its knees, Gunasekera said, pointing out the reduction of parliamentary strength from 106 seats to one NL slot, destroyed the UNP. 

 

 

Author


  • News Advertiesment

    See Kapruka’s top selling online shopping categories such as ToysGroceryFlowersBirthday CakesFruitsChocolatesClothing and Electronics. Also see Kapruka’s unique online services such as Money Remittence,NewsCourier/DeliveryFood Delivery and over 700 top brands. Also get products from Amazon & Ebay via Kapruka Gloabal Shop into Sri Lanka.

    Author

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

news

Test post

Published

on

sdfsdf sdf sf sf sdf sf sdf

Author

Continue Reading

news

AG not bound by its recommendations, yet to receive report

Published

on

PCoI on Easter Sunday attacks:

By Shamindra Ferdinando

Attorney General Dappula de Livera, PC is not bound by recommendations made by the Presidential Commission of Inquiry (P CoI) into the 2019 Easter Sunday carnage, or presidential directives in that regard, according to authoritative sources.

They said that the AG couldn’t under any circumstances initiate legal proceedings until he had received the full PCoI report.

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa received the PCoI report on Feb 1. The President’s Office delivered a set of PCoI reports to Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena on Feb 23, a day after the report was presented to the cabinet of ministers. The Island raised the matter with relevant authorities in the wake of a section of the media reporting the PCoI recommending punitive measures against former President Maithripala Sirisena, Defence Secretary Hemasiri Fernando, IGP Pujitha Jayasundera, Chief of State Intelligence Senior DIG Nilantha Jayawardena, Chief of National Intelligence retired DIG Sisira Mendis and All Ceylon Makkal Congress (ACMC) leader and Samagi Jana Balavegaya MP Rishad Bathiudeen et al over the Easter Sunday carnage.

Sources pointed out that due to the inordinate delay in sharing the PCoI report with the AG, the department hadn’t been able to take preliminary measures required to initiate the proceedings. Sources said that a team of officers would take at least six weeks or more to examine the report before tangible measures could be taken.

With the AG scheduled to retire on May 24, 2021, even if the AG Department received the P CoI it would be quite a tough task to initiate proceedings ahead of retirement, sources said. However, in terms of the 20th Amendment to the Constitution enacted in last October, both the AG and the IGP could receive extensions beyond 60 at the President’s discretion.

 

Dappula de Livera received an Acting appointment as the AG a week after the Easter Sunday carnage whereas his predecessor Jayantha Jayasuriya, PC, was elevated to Chief Justice.

Responding to another query, sources said that the Attorney General two weeks ago requested Secretary to the President for a copy of the P CoI. However, the AG was yet to receive one, sources said. In spite of the AG not receiving a P CoI copy, the AG had instructed the IGP to obtain a copy of the report when he requested the police to complete investigations into the Easter Sunday carnage. The AG issued specific instructions after having examined police files pertaining to the investigations.

The IGP, too, hadn’t received a copy so far though some sections of the report were in the public domain.

Agriculture Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage displayed at a live political programme on Derana a copy of the P CoI report he received at the cabinet meeting earlier in the day.

Sources said that the Attorney General’s Department couldn’t decide on a course of action in respect of the Easter carnage on the basis of a section of the report. In terms of the Commission of Inquiry Act (Section 24), the AG enjoyed significant powers/authority in respect of investigations; sources said adding that the Department urgently required both the P CoI report and police investigations report. The Attorney General’s Department has raised the delay in receiving a P CoI report amidst the Catholic Church attacking the government over the same issue.

Sources said that ministerial committee appointed to study the P CoI report couldn’t decide on how to proceed with the recommendations and the matter was entirely in the hands of the AG. Sources pointed out that the delay on the part of the government to release the report had received the attention of sections of the international media, including the New York Times. Public Security Minister retired Rear Admiral Sarath Weerasekera having met Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith at the Bishop’s House on Dec 8, 2020 said that the AG would get a copy of the P CoI report once the President received it. Minister Weerasekera said that the CID had handed over the relevant files after having completed investigations into eight blasts. Referring to the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) report on the Easter Sunday carnage, the former Navy Chief of Staff said that all such documents would have to be brought to one place and considered before initiating legal proceedings. Acknowledging that there could be delays, lawmaker Weerasekera said that on the instructions of the Attorney General a 12-member team of lawyers was working on the case. The minister vowed to expose the mastermind behind the Easter Sunday attacks. Investigations continued while some of those wanted were overseas, the minister said.

The minister acknowledged that the Attorney General couldn’t proceed without the P CoI report. Minister Weerasekera reiterated that once the President received the P CoI report, it would be sent to the Attorney General. The minister said that there were documents two to three feet high that needed scrutiny. The minister assured comprehensive investigation. The minister said that investigations pertaining to eight blasts had been completed and the reports handed over to the AG. However, the Attorney General had found shortcomings in those investigations.

Author

Continue Reading

news

JVP picks holes in PCoI report

Published

on

By Saman Indrajith

The Presidential Commission of Inquiry on the Easter Sunday bombings had failed to identify the mastermind of , the JVP said yesterday.

Addressing the media at the party headquarters in Pelawatte, JVP Propaganda Secretary MP Vijitha Herath said that the PCoI report had levelled accusations against former President Maithripala Sirisena, former IGP and head of intelligence for their dereliction of duty, shirking of responsibilities and not taking action to prevent the attacks and negligence. There were reference to the causes of the terror attacks and actions to be taken to avoid such attacks and the influence of extremist organisations. “However, there is no mention of the mastermind of the attacks, the handlers of the attackers and those whose interests the carnage served. It is also not mentioned whether there has been any foreign or local organisation behind those attacks. As per the PCoI report the attack took place as a result of culmination of extremism.

“According to the PCoI the extremist activities were a result of the prevailing political situation then. The entire nation was waiting to see who was responsible and who masterminded those attacks. The PCoI has failed to identify the true culprits responsible for the terror attacks. The report says that the leader of the suicide cadres killed himself in the attacks and it was a puzzle. That means those who are actually responsible for the attacks are still at large. The report does not provide exact details of the sources of the attacks. The PCoI had sittings for one year and five months. It summoned various persons and got their statements but it has failed to shed any light on the terror attacks. Everybody knows that the top leaders of the government and heads of security and intelligence establishments failed in their duties. Ranil Wickremesinghe was the second in command and he too is bound by the responsibility but the PCoI report fails to identify him as one of the persons against whom legal action should be instituted. The PCoI has treated Wickremesinghe and former President Maithripala Sirisena differently. We are not telling that this report is a total failure but we cannot accept this as a complete report. The PCoI handed over its report to the President on Feb 1. After 23 days it was sent to Parliament. Now, a copy of the report is there in the parliamentary library for the perusal of MPs.”

Herath said that the PCoI did not have powers to take punitive action. “It only has powers to name those responsible and recommend action to be taken against those named.

Author

Continue Reading
  • HomePage Advertiesment – middle11

    Author

  • HomePage Advertiesment – middle11

    Author

  • HomePage Advertiesment – middle11

    Author