The Prime Minister did not show the same solicitude for the controversial treasury bond issue when compared to the manner in which he acted on the recent Seylan Bank foreign deal, former Foreign Minister G.L. Peiris says.

He expressed this view while speaking at a press conference held in Colombo on Thursday.

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe had earlier ordered a reversal and a probe into the 1.3 billion rupees ($8.7 million) Seylan Bank foreign deal as it failed to follow proper procedure. On Friday, 13 million shares or 7 percent stake in Seylan Bank owned by state-run Bank of Ceylon were sold to a foreign fund at 100 rupees each, a 17.6 percent premium to the stock’s closing price that day, through JB Securities.

In the first place, the Prime Minister turned a blind to the bond issue. Unlike this deal,” he said.

Peiris also went on to say Wickremesinghe attempts to divert the attention of the people away from the bond scam.

Meanwhile, the former Minister also said the Facebook page of his party Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna was launched today. They have forgotten the role of Facebook during the election period. Facebook was one of the main driving forces which backed President Sirisena’s campaign,” he added.