No such person works for President – GL-Alleged attempt by presidential aide to sell artefact

December 19, 2013, 

No person by the name of Dhammika Premalal Raigama had worked as a coordinating secretary to the President, at the President’s office, External Affairs Minister Prof G. L. Peiris told Parliament yesterday (19).

Prof. Peiris said that the UNP’s Matara District MP had on Wednesday told parliament that a person by the name of Dhammika Premalal Raigama working in the President’s office had tried to sell an artefact for Rs. 350 mn. "There is no such person by that name."

Prof. Peiris, participating in the third reading stage debate on budget 2014, under the expenditure heads of the Ministry of Public Administration and Home Affairs, said the UNP MP had misled the House with false facts and it was the duty of the government to set the record straight.The Minister said that MP Samaraweera had alleged that Israelis had participated in the CHOGM 2013 and accused the government of accommodating people from countries that were not members of the Commonwealth. MP Samaraweera attempted to blow out of proportion the Israeli nationals coming to CHOGM on their own flights. "The Israeli nationals were leading businessmen in that country and they came here to attend the Commonwealth business forum.

When a Commonwealth business forum is held not only the businessmen of the member countries, but also businessmen from other countries, participated in them, said Prof. Peiris. "It was same with the Commonwealth business forum held in parallel with the previous CHOGM held in Perth Australia."

Prof. Peiris said: "For the Business forum held in Sri Lanka, businessmen from 53 member countries and 14 non-member countries attended. Non-member countries were United Arab Emirates, Israel, the US, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, South Korea, Switzerland, Turkey, China, France, Germany, Ireland and Japan. These countries sent 180 businessmen and some had arrived in Sri Lanka on their own aircraft. Among them were the Israeli businessmen mentioned by MP Samaraweera in his speech. The chairman of the leading Israeli company LR Group arrived on his own flight. The business forum was a success and 1,395 Sri Lankan businessmen attended it," he said.

Prof. Peiris said that MP Samaraweera had accused the government of purchasing British MPs to speak on behalf of Sri Lanka. "The government did not pay or sponsor British MPs in the manner MP Samaraweera tried to portray. "A delegation of Lankan Parliamentarians of both government and Opposition visited Britain on a familiarisation visit sometime ago. It was sponsored by the International Alert organisation of which one of the main source of income was the British government. We, too, as an act of reciprocity, invited a group of British MPs and sponsored their visit. Sri Lanka has achieved a lot of international acclaim in that manner. For example, Lord Naseby, who came here and witnessed the progress we had made towards reconciliation, was highly impressed and he praised Sri Lanka at many forums."