SB swindled Rs. 90 m from 2003-04 fertilizer imports

- Aug 23, 2015

It is nothing new to say that S.B. Dissanayake is a controversial figure in politics. During the previous regime, he had been condemned for allowing, as the higher education minister, private higher educational institutions without standards and the repression of the students who had opposed it. But, what we are going to say is not about something he had done in that capacity.

It is about a massive fraud he had committed previously, as the agriculture minister.

In 2003-04, the fertilizer company imported, through the agriculture ministry, 30,000 tons of urea, at a price 30 dollars higher than the market price per ton. The tender board vehemently opposed the transaction, but S.B. went ahead on its own in breach of the tender procedure.

The fertilizer company suffered a loss of more than Rs. 90 million as a result.

Also, S.B.’s son Narada was ordered by an Australian court to pay a Rs. 40 million compensation to Lakshmi Nettikumara, whom he had divorced in Australia. This order was pursuant to a court evaluation of a house owned by Narada in Australia. The court order was to pay her half the value of the house, which in fact is several times worth in commercial value.

Narada is a vivacious youth who does not have a financial ability to buy such a house. It was his father S.B.  who had bought it for him. In addition to this house, S.B. has another house in Australia, but he had not submitted details of them in his assets declaration.

It is a mystery as to how a person who engages only in politics has money to buy such property, as his MP’s salary and other allowances are not adequate to buy them.

There is also a question about how S.B. and his family members maintain lifestyles of wealth.

We have all the documentary evidence to support our claims, and we will present them for your perusal.

The ‘Yaha Paalana’ government which vows to punish the corrupt should properly investigate S.B. and take proper action.