Yohan Perera and Ajith Siriwardana Courtesy The Daily Mirror

There is no one person behind the bond issue but apparently carried out by a network of corrupt persons including some MPs, Chief Opposition Whip Anura Kumara Dissanayake said in Parliament yesterday.

He said there are other MPs other than the COPE members whose names had been disclosed.

“I agree with MP Karu Paranawithana who said there are others who had dealt with PTL owner Arjun Aloysius because a network comprising Central Bank officials, members of the business community and politicians. Information on this corrupt network will be disclosed soon,” Mr Dissanayake said.

He said it was those who had dealings with Mr. Aloysius who created havoc at the COPE meetings and claimed that some COPE members had even threatened the Auditor General.

Mr. Dissanayake said the punishment meted out to those found guilty in this instance would be an example of how the government dealt with people involved in other financial frauds. “The Presidential Commission investigating into serious frauds has completed inquiries on 17 cases such as the fraud at the ITN, the opening ceremony of the Hambantota Port and the Avant Garde, but one wonders what the outcome will be,” he said. ()