PM should ask Mahendran to return following MR’s precedent: Joint Opposition
Posted on June 26th, 2018
Lahiru Pothmulla Courtesy The Daily Mirror
The Joint Opposition (JO) today threw a challenge at Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe to bring back former Central Bank (CB) Governor Arjuna Mahendran to Sri Lanka like former President Mahinda Rajapaksa vowed to ensure the return of former Sri Lankan envoy to Russia Udayanga Weeratunga.
Addressing a news briefing on behalf of the JO, former Minister Professor G.L. Peiris said the Prime Minister should secure that Mr Mahendran’s return to deal with the Central Bank Bond Scam and its repercussions spreading like tentacles of an octopus.
The University Grants Commission (UGC) had invested Rs. 1 billion worth of UGC funds in the controversial Bond Transaction. This move had resulted in a loss of Rs.700,000 to Rs.800,000 per one university lecturer in their provident funds. Minister Kabir Hashim tried to pin the blame for this on the previous Government, which had relinquished office a long time before that,” he said.
He said Perpetual Treasuries Limited (PTL) had issued some 10,000 cheques to various personnel as inducements.
June 26th, 2018 at 7:13 pm
“Vowed to ensure the return of former Sri Lankan envoy to Russia Udayanga Weeratunga” has no legal validity whatsoever. The law professor must know better. Udayanga Weeratunga has still not presented himself to court or authorities. He is still a fugitive.
The bill to punish figitives wanted for crimes in Sri Lanka to be tried in foreign courts must be passed by parliament. Only then can Udayanga, Jaliya, Mahendran, Wele Suda’s associates, etc. can be punished or forcibly extradited to Sri Lanka.