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Sunday Dec 15, 2024
Thursday, 3 November 2016 00:38 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
By Chamodi Gunawardana
The Joint Opposition yesterday claimed that President Maithripala Sirisena should take control of the Central Bank, releasing it from Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s purview. 
JO Parliamentarian Prof. G.L. Peiris pointed out that the biggest advantage for the bond scam was the fact that the Central Bank was under Wickremesinghe’s control from January 2015.
“The Central Bank was controlled by Wickremesinghe and he appointed his dearest friend Arjuna Mahendran as the Governor. They were both trying to conceal the robbery from the public but the Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) report has revealed all the details of the fraud,” he charged.
Prof. Peiris further demanded that the relevant authorities fine the company embroiled in the controversy, Perpetual Treasuries Ltd., for gaining abnormal profits through corrupt practices perpetrated in partnership with Wickremesinghe.
Furthermore, MP Dinesh Gunawardena claimed that the Rs.5.2 billion profit earned by the company should be frozen until a full inquiry was held.
“The Government should freeze the profits of Perpetual Treasuries and freeze all of the company’s assets and initiate legal action against it,” he said.
The Joint Opposition met Deputy Speaker Thilanga Sumathipala on Monday to request a date for the debate on the COPE report, Gunawardena revealed.
Meanwhile, Parliamentarian Wimal Weerawansa claimed that Wickremesinghe was the “mastermind” behind the Central Bank bond scam which was pre-planned in partnership with Mahendran and his son-in-law Arjun Aloysius.
“This robbery was not something that occurred suddenly. It was a planned over the last few years. That was why Wickremesinghe appointed Mahendran as the Governor without considering the objections of the Opposition,” he said.
Weerawansa also alleged that Mahendran was working in the Central Bank without a valid work permit while being a Singaporean citizen.
“Mahendran has violated the Constitution and he should be arrested as soon as he returns from Singapore,” he said.
The political party which was registered with the Department of Elections as ‘Our Sri Lanka Freedom Front’ led by Wimal Geeganage has been renamed as the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna.
Prof. G. L. Peiris has been appointed as the Chairman of the new political outfit, with Sagara Kariyawasam. A flower bud has been named as the image of the new party, Prof. Peiris said.
The new party is planning to contest in the upcoming elections, he claimed, however he said that the top leadership of the party is yet to be determined.
“It is our devout hope that the former President Mahinda Rajayapaksa will play a big role in the party. But right now he is a member of the Sri Lanka Freedom party and a Parliamentarian. So we need to discuss matters with him,” Prof. Peiris told Daily FT.
He also said that the party structure at the grassroots level was set up over three months. However he said discussions with different political parties in the Opposition, including the individual parties in the Joint Opposition will take place in the future, to negotiate potential coalitions.
