By Rathindra Kuruwita Courtesy The Island

Former Chairman of SriLankan Airlines Ajith Dias, yesterday, made a statement on the decision to store paddy at the Mattala Airport in 2015, to the Police Unit attached to the Presidential Commission of Inquiry (PCoI) investigating corruption in the current administration. 

 Last month Dias was asked to appear before the CID unit attached to the Presidential Commission after it was revealed that in 2015. Dias sent a letter to Charitha Ratwatte, senior advisor to Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, on a UL letterhead, had stated that they were willing to allow the Paddy Marketing Board to use the airport to store paddy as requested by the government.  

The PCoI wanted to find out who in the government had instructed Dias to authorise the use of the airport.

 Police officers attached to the PCoI visited Mattala Airport, late last month, inspected the premises. They found that storing of paddy inside the buildings had caused damage estimated to be around Rs. 5 million.

 The Paddy Marketing Board had paid Airport and Aviation Services Ltd Rs. 835,132 a month for storing paddy. The paddy was stored for six months.