Bond Commission: Why Is Prime Minister’s Evidence Important?
Rusiripala Tennakoon
Two important witnesses were summoned before the COI investigating into the Central Bank Bond Scam. They were Minister Malik Samarawickramaand Minister Kabir Hashim. According to the evidence led before the COI, so far, the names of these two Ministers came up in relation to one incident. That is the meeting that was held on the 26th February, 2015 at the CBSL premises with their attendance along with Ravi Karunanayake – Minister of Finance, Arjuna Mahendran and some officials of the High Ways Dept. This meeting has been held to establish the need for urgent additional funds. Their evidence is considered important in the following context.
1. Prime Minister has stated in his statement to Parliament on 17th March, 2015 as follows :
“During the regime of Mahinda Rajapaksa, the Ministry of Highways had entered into contracts exceeding over Rs. 100 Billion without any allocation of funds. Funds were needed urgently to make the related payments. This is one issue. Payments have to be made for the work done. Payments have also to be made for work in progress, in respect of the contracts signed. We decided to make payments for the projects completed later and to pay for the work in progress and for the work to be started. But there were no funds, for this. We cannot pay Rs. 100 Billion at once. Highways Minister, Secretary to MOF, officials including Governor and Deputy Governor of the CBSL met on 26th February, 2015 and discussed this matter. They decided that Rs. 15 Billion was required immediately”.
2. A letter produced to the COI under the signature of the MOF Ravi Karunanayake addressed to no-body states that there was an urgent need of Rs. 75 Billion as decided at that meeting.
3. Ravi Karunanayake in his evidence confirmed that he issued this letter and the fund requirement was 75 Billion.
4. The statement made to Parliament on 17th March, 2015 by the Prime Minister contradicts this position because the amount required urgently was Rs. 15 Billion only.
5. Hence the AG’s Dept has to call the other participants of the 26th meeting to verify the matter.
6. Attendance of Mr. Malik Samarawickrama was quite out of place for this meeting as he did not hold any official position. However, as revealed he attended in his capacity as an adviser to Prime Minister.
7. All these participants were officials of the UNP besides being Ministers and an adviser, Ravi Karunanayake, Deputy leader of UNP, Kabir Hashim General Secretary of UNP, Malik Samarawikrama Chairman UNP represented the leader of the UNP at this meeting.
8. Prime Minister in the same statement he made to Parliament also states as follows :
“The monies that were raised were paid to the Treasury to fund the “Divisional Development Projects”. This is a slightly different position to what he stated earlier that the funds were urgently needed to settle the Contractors for the work done. Therefore this matter should be ascertained from these two witnesses.
a) How much was the urgent need?
b) What was the actual purpose?
c) Who directed them to hold this meeting?
d) Whether Malik Samarawickrama reported the outcome of the meeting to Prime Minister whom he represented at the meeting.
In this background AG’s Dept has to verify these from the Prime Minister. Then it would be a complete corroboration of evidence. Furthermore there is a necessity for the AG’s Dept to enlighten the COI about the role of the Minister in Charge of the CBSL in the context of a number of other relevant issues, such as certain directives he is alleged to have given.
