$ 2.8 m offered to cross over: Palitha Range Bandara

Saturday, 3 November 2018 00:05 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Giving an indication of the going rate of a Parliamentarian as the country’s political crisis deepened, Palitha Range Bandara yesterday claimed that he was offered $ 2.8 million and a Ministerial post to join Mahinda Rajapaksa’s camp.

Raising a privilege issue during the Party Representatives meeting, chaired by Speaker Karu Jayasuriya, the Parliamentarian said that a phone conversation with a caller said to be from the Rajapaksa camp offered the deal. Bandara also claimed he had text messages and voice recordings of the conversation. “They agreed to offer me Rs. 500 million and settle the transaction at a temple in Colombo but I said I could consider the offer if it was delivered to my house in Anamaduwa. They said I could be sworn in this evening. I received a message to my mobile phone saying I could get both cash and Ministerial portfolio,” he told the media at the Parliament Complex today.

Bandara said the current situation is that the people’s representatives were bought over for money and added that it was a serious threat to democracy.