Minister demands to ‘cross-examine’ investigating officers of bond scam

• Calls on Commission to release call records to public
• Demands telephone records of all parliamentarians be issued to him

By Skandha Gunasekara

Deputy Minister Ajith P. Perera has called on the Presidential Commission of Investigation (PCOI) into the Treasury bond scam to give him the opportunity to cross-examine the investigating officers probing Sri Lanka’s largest financial scandal. 

The Deputy Minister of Power and Energy, who was recently implicated in having had phone conversations with Perpetual Treasuries chief Arjun Aloysius, has through his Attorney made several requests of the PCOI such as the Minister be “issued with copies of the reports pertaining to the telephone calls between all Members of Parliament including the Members of COPE and Aloysius as well as details provided by the relevant mobile operators.”

In the letter the Minister has also appealed to the Commission to inform him “of material particulars of the two telephone calls which had allegedly originated from his phone and that of Aloysius, including dates, times and durations.”

Furthermore, he has demanded that the Commission inform him “if any recordings exist of such telephone calls and if so that such recording be released to my client (Minister) and to the Public forthwith” while going on to demand that the Deputy Minister be given the opportunity to cross-examine the relevant investigating officers at the earliest opportunity.

During the latter part of the Commission’s round of inquiries it came to light that several parliamentarians, particularly some from parliamentary watchdog the Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) had made and received phone calls from Aloysius. 

UNP ministers Sujeewa Senasinghe, Ajith P. Perera and backbencher MPs Harshana Rajakaruna and Hector Appuhamy were alleged to have had telephone conversation with Aloysius. 

Meanwhile, Minister Dayasiri Jayasekara from the SLFP was said to have had two conversations with Aloysius.