Justice Minister imports oil

Friday, 07 December 2012

Justice Minister Rauf Hakeem is engaged in providing oil to meet the country’s requirement, sources from the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) said.

The CPC on a Presidential directive had given the contract of importing oil to Hakeem’s close confidante, Eastern provincial Council Minister Nazeer Ahamed. It was Ahamed who was supported by Hakeem when trying to choose a Chief Minister for the Eastern Provincial Council.

Ahamed was chased away from the SLMC by the late founding leader, A.H.M. Ashraff. The reason for sacking him from the party was the revelation that he had robbed Rs. 17 million when constructing the SLCM headquarters, Darussalam.

Ahamed has close links with the Saudi Arabian government and Minister Rauf Hakeem had got him the contract to import oil through the President.

The President had directed the CPC to import oil from Saudi Arabia through Nazeer Ahamed since Sri Lanka cannot import oil from its main importer, Iran, due to economic sanctions.