‘Cleanse sitting parliament, restore public confidence’ Dew zeroes in on Sujeewa Senasinghe
Posted on June 8th, 2018
By Shamindra Ferdinando Courtesy The Island
General Secretary of the Communist Party (CP) and former Chairman of the Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) Dew Gunasekera yesterday urged the parliament to take immediate remedial measures or face the consequences.
In a brief interview with The Island, Gunasekera said it would be the responsibility of the parliament to cleanse the institution. Political parties and groups represented in parliament should be held accountable for taking tangible measures in that regard, Gunasekera said.
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Gunasekera
Gunasekera said the parliament was facing the worst post-independence crisis with financial scandal involving still undisclosed number of lawmakers and tainted primary dealer, Perpetual Treasuries Limited (PTL) now suspended by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka.
The CP leader alleged that payments received by lawmakers from Walt and Raw Associates and W.M. Mendis & Company, subsidiaries of PTL in the run-up to the August 17, 2015 parliamentary polls and after had caused irreparable damage to the parliamentary system.
Referring to recent revelations regarding UPFA MP Dayasiri Jayasekera and State Minister Sujeewa Senasinghe receiving Rs 1 mn (July 13, 2015) and 3 mn (Aug 24, 2015-March 31, 2016) respectively, Gunasekera said the parliament should review its recent decision to re-appoint them to the COPE. In fact, the political parties, they represented could turn a blind eye to very serious accusations directed at the lawmakers.
Gunasekera pointed out that attorney-at-law Senasinghe made a desperate bid to prevent him from releasing the first COPE report that extensively dealt with the first treasury bond scam perpetrated on the morning of Feb. 27, 2015.
Why did Deputy Justice Minister Senasinghe, in spite of being a member of the Special 13-member COPE moved District Court of Colombo to prevent the releasing of the report? Gunasekera asked.
The veteran CP Leader said that when the then Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa called for unprecedented inquiry by the parliamentary watchdog committee into the treasury bond scam, he established a 13-member team to handle it expeditiously. Senasinghe, Rosy Senanayake (now Mayoress of Colombo) and Eran Wickremaratne represented the UNP. Gunasekera alleged that both Senanayake and Senasinge strongly objected to COPE presenting its report to parliament on the morning of June 24, 2015.
Responding to another query, Gunasekera emphasized that obviously the decision to dissolve parliament was taken on June 23, 2015 to prevent the tabling of the report. Whatever the differences between the UNP and its coalition partner, the SLFP now, the latter responded positively to call to dissolve parliament to pave the way for early parliamentary poll, Gunasekera said.
The coalition worked together to save those responsible for the first bond scam, Gunasekera said. Had the SLFP not interfered with the COPE procedure, much bigger second bind scam could have been averted, Gunasekera said.
Gunasekera said that PTL earned massive profits at the expense of the Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF), National Savings Bank, Mahapola Scholarship Fund and Sri Lanka Insurance Corporation (SLIC). Therefore the enterprise had the wherewithal to influence lawmakers and officials, he said. The PTL had, with political backing, borrowed from the state and then the same funds were given back at a higher interest, Gunasekera said. He said it was absurd for the government to borrow funds through a third party from state institutions.
Gunasekera recalled how Senasinghe moved Colombo District court in July 2015, about four weeks before parliamentary polls to block the COPE report. Senasinghe was able to obtain an interim injunction preventing the releasing of the report, Gunasekera said. The veteran politician said that Senasinghe, though being a lawyer and probably his associates hadn’t understood the implications of the court action. “In response to his move, I wanted to file the report in court as part of my submissions. When Senasinghe heard of my move, he quickly announced his decision to withdraw the case though I opposed. The case is still pending in Colombo High Court though the original ruling was dissolved.”
The CP leader said that his investigation was certainly facilitated by courageous and bold action of the then Superintendent of the Public Debt Department Mrs Deepa Seneviratne, who opposed the Feb 27, 2015 transaction, in writing. “She appeared before the first COPE Committee and her stand certainly influenced and strengthened those who opposed the fraudulent deal. If not for her note, the then Governor could have probably found it easier to challenge the investigation. But Mrs. Seneviratne’s note, in spite of Feb. 27, 2015 transaction being her first after receiving the appointment established the Governor’s direct involvement without any doubt.”
“Such courageous public officials should be recognized to strengthen anti-corruption drives. Instead, the government and a section of the international community squandered precious funds on costly but useless exercises,” Gunasekera said.
Gunasekera insisted that the treasury bond scam exposed many politicians and it also proved the judiciary, officers of the Attorney General’s Department as well as the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) could tackle any case if they were given a free hand.
Gunasekera pointed out that Senasinghe had no option but to go out of his way to save bond thieves. “Give me one valid reason to justify Deputy Justice Minister Senasinghe authoring a book to defend Feb 27, 2015 transaction. Who funded that book? If Senasinghe did it on his own, what he expected to achieve? Gunasekera asked.
The UNP leadership could never absolve itself of the responsibility for treasury bond scams, Gunasekera said, asserting they certainly changed the Sirisena-Wickremesinghe government’s direction.
Commenting on a statement issued by the Office of the Speaker Karu Jayasuriya, Gunasekera said that the parliament had denied the existence of a list containing the names of 118 recipients of PTL money. But the day, the Speaker issued that statement, the Fort Magistrate court was told how the then Deputy Minister (now a State Minister) Senasinge received Rs. 3 mn in three cheques and CBSL Governor Mahendran obtained Rs 3.2 mn, also in cheques to settle credit card payments, Gunasekera said.
Gunasekera faulted the parliament for initiating measures of its own to restore public confidence in the system. The House has been transformed into a local government authority, Gunasekera alleged, urging political parties to act now.
June 9th, 2018 at 3:11 am
We must not forget the fact that the Bond Scam did not suddenly made its appearence on 27 Feb 2015. It took time to plan, get the necessary players into place and then execute it within seven weeks of the “Yahapalana” administration taking office.
As far as we know it took all of getting a man such as Sirisena to betray his life long friends and party, getting Ranil Wickramasinghe sporting only 47 seats in parliament to be appointed as the Prime Minister, the PM to take the Central Bank part of the Finance Ministry under his jurisdiction, appointing a non citizen Arjun Mahendran the Father-in-law of Arjun Aloysius as the Govenor of the Central Bank, getting Arjun Aloysius to resign his chairmanship at Perpetual Treasuries to avoid detection and finally a flurry of telephone calls and burning of copper to execute the first Bond Scam.
Then it took the lesser underlings such as Ravi Karunanayakam, Sujeewa Serasinghe, Ajith P Perera, Appuhamy and the like and a bevy of money hungry parliamentarians to bring about the Second Bond Scam on the 29 March 2016.
With the foregoing in the background, it is not difficult to identify the bandmaster and the choreographer of this sordid tragedy – Ranil Wickramasinghe the man who played the leading (yet so far not given due recognition) role as the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka. He craftily put in place the Western Powers agenda of making – Sri Lanka a failed state prior to their take over to maintain hegemony over the Indian Ocean Region.
In any other self respecting country the Prime Minister would have resigned since his plot now stands exposed for all and sundry to see in broad daylight. What he did in collusion with his erstwhile friends in the West have failed. In any other self respecting nation he would be behind bars by now! And yet in this nation of Sri Lanka, the parliament, the judiciary, the presidency and the people themselves are still pussy-footing about getting this traitor behind bars.
The position of the President himself has been a necessary contributing factor in this sordid tale of woe and misery enacted on an unsuspecting nation of lotus eaters!
June 9th, 2018 at 7:01 am
The real problem or the issue is:
Sirisena appointed Mahendran.
He committed the fraud.
Sirisena should have recovered the money and prosecuted Mahendran.
Sirisena has failed.
He should resign.
June 9th, 2018 at 7:30 pm
Christie,
Don’t try to divert attention from the real robbers and gangsters of the Christian UNP who masterminded the Central Bank Bond Scam. Sirisena is only an idiot recruited to do the dirty work. He has served his purpose and is now beyond the ‘use by date’, very fast becoming Karapincha!
Western Christian powers wanted regime change in Sri Lanka to be ‘self financing’ and the outcome is the Central Bank Bond Scam!
Ranil the traitor is thier cat’s paw ever ready to do the maximum harm to Sri Lanka and the Sinhala Buddhists. He thinks he is there to fulfil what was left behind undone by Don Juan Dharmapala.
Please don’t try to take the message on a wild goose chase. Mahendran is another willing tool who wanted to profit from the venture. Soon he will be a fugitive from the International Law or so I hope. Yes, we have an Indian problem but that is best handled in concordance with all India’s neighbours and China. No country that borders like the Indian vermin!
June 10th, 2018 at 3:26 am
Ratanapala,
Don’t you think that Sirisena is more to be blamed for the two bond scams the second of which is less spoken ? Applying the same argument Chandrika may also be in it as it was she who got naive Sirisena to be the Presidential candidate. Now the problem is nobody is able to get rid of them while they continue to destroy the country little by little.
June 10th, 2018 at 8:14 am
Thanks Charles and Ratnapala.
We have an executive president.
Central Bank governor is appointed by him.
So Sirisena is responsible and he should take the blame and act accordingly.
Ranil or any one else is not responsible. He just promoted his mate from his school.
Now we can see how things have unfolded.
Mahendran has distributed money at the 2015-16 elections.
This has been the practice of Indian Colonial Parasites from the start of democracy in the country.
Best example is Captains family financing N M Perera, Gnanam financing Phillip, Hidramanis financing SWRD.
Indian business people as a group provide finances to Sinhala politicians.
It is an investment for these Indians and they reap much more than they saw.
Captains and Gnanams are multi billionaires in dollars today.
This is the case in other countries like Fiji, South Africa and I=even in UK, USA and Canada.
Finally Mahendran is not to be seen and we Sinhalese are fighting among ourselves.
How cunning are these Hinduthwa Samrajs (Imperialists).
June 10th, 2018 at 7:03 pm
Thanks Charles and Christie,
Please look at the big picture. Sirisena is a nobody simpleton recruited to do a specific job. Most people who voted for him in the North and East did not know him even as a possible presidential contender 3 months prior to the Jan 2015 Presidential Election. Even in the South he was not in the minds of people as a possible contender for the position of President of Sri Lanka. All those Hansaya votes were simply Anti Rajapakse votes. As things unfold Sirisena will revert back to a nobody soon!
On the other hand who are the real hands that moved the Central Bank Bond Scam locally. It is Ranil, Ravi, Malik, Kabir and may be a few others not so significant with Ranil leading the pack. The script is from the US/UK task masters who wanted a regime change. Unlike other regime changes that required massive funding, in Sri Lanka they found a way to a self financing Regime Change.
They also had the likes of the Deputy Central Bank Governor – P Samarasiri colluding. Arjuna Mahendran is another hand recruited using the Old Boys network. Arjun Mahendran and even the present Governor Indrajit Coomaraswamy with connections to Raj Rajaratnam – now languisihing US jail for insider trading, are LTTE proxies.
Sirisena is simply the underling they got to carryout the dirty work. They got him bring in the 19th Amendment to the Constitution which resulted in Sirisena giving away vital powers to Ranil, the rule that the Parliament cannot be dissolved within 4 and half years of parliamentary elections and a host of other measures inimical to the Sri Lankan state. Sirisena is driven by his hatred to Rajapakses and for that he will do anything. He simply has no principles, nor pride or shame! Punishing Sirisena would be akin to “Muwa hamate thaleeemak”
Sirisena simply did as he was told and according to him, even when things were not to his liking. He is still a village lad who get excited even by simple things – like the hand shake with the queen – Cameron opening the car door etc.
We have to keep the Central Bank Bond Scam alive and well in the hearts and minds of all Sri Lankans till Ranil followed by others Ravi, Malik, Kabir and others are behind bars.
Sirisena was a nothing, became somebody for a while and now soon becoming a nothing and fast fading into ignominy.
I agree Indians are meddling in Sri Lankan politics big time and they have Big Power ambitions and matter of fact they are doing rather well themselves as they have a huge internal market and countless low cost labour. India is a colonial construct with no distinct borders. All her current borders are those they inherited from the British for there was no India per se before the British. There was no political entity called India – just a notional geographical entity in the minds of the westerners. Prior to the British it was a myriad of fiefdoms and the remnants of the Moghul Empire.
India is trying her best to keep the union together and from balkanizing into a zillion pieces. Western Christian Powers want to use Sri Lanka as a stepping stone to destabilize and balkanize India beginning with Tamil Nadu – Remember Hilary Clinton’s direct visit to Tamil Nadu! They are not in favor of big powers coming out of third world countries. Very similar to Indonesia a construct of the Dutch Colonial enterprise. Only positive way India is able to keep her ‘unity’ is by finding quarrels with her neighbors. Every time India manufactures a problem with her neighbors the ‘Indians’ unite. For now, however fragile ‘the unity’ works and has benefits for the average Indian.
Democracy and Human Rights are just tool in the hands of Western Christian powers used to castigate third world countries at their beck and call due to the asymmetrical power they are able to exert. As for Sri Lanka we must work towards not democracy and human rights but towards making Sri Lanka self sufficient in our immediate needs as far as possible and for having an independence on our security needs – on the ground, at sea and in the air. We have been honing our democracy and human rights situation in the country for 70 odd years but this slogan can never be satisfied to the absurd level demanded by Western Christian (who are yet to prove their true democratic credentials) short of committing national hara kiri. So far these very ideals have continued to impoverish third world nations and only made them ever more subservient to these very same powers.
For this we need a strong leader and I believe Gotabhaya is that proven leader, the only one in the horizon around whom a majority of people can be made to unite be they SLFP, UNP or other. In the available time he must be molded to be the leader that Sri Lankan’s aspire to – not giving into nepotism or personal gain but for the good of the nation emulating our kings of yore and Buddhist principles of governance – Dasa Raja Dharma!