{"id":83658,"date":"2018-11-25T21:15:30","date_gmt":"2018-11-26T03:15:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/?p=83658"},"modified":"2018-11-25T13:20:39","modified_gmt":"2018-11-25T20:20:39","slug":"presidential-commission-to-probe-alleged-misdeeds-of-ousted-lankan-pm-wickremesinghe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2018\/11\/25\/presidential-commission-to-probe-alleged-misdeeds-of-ousted-lankan-pm-wickremesinghe\/","title":{"rendered":"Presidential Commission to probe alleged misdeeds of ousted Lankan PM Wickremesinghe"},"content":{"rendered":"

Courtesy NewsIn.Asia<\/em><\/span><\/h2>\n

Colombo, November 25 (newsin.asia): A Presidential Commission is to be appointed to probe charges of corruption and fraud against ousted Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, \u00a0the Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena said here on Sunday.<\/p>\n

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Speaking to the Foreign Correspondents Association of Sri Lanka, the President said that there are at this point of time, 17 reports against Wickremesinghe and his cohorts, which had not been investigated because the relevant departments were under Wickremesinghe\u2019s control in the coalition government which existed between January 2015 and October 26, 2018.<\/p>\n

\"Presidential<\/p>\n

The President said that corrupt and questionable deals were made in respect of land and private sector companies from the word go.<\/p>\n

Sirisena said that if parliament had passed Wickremesinghe\u2019s Special Land Act, by voice vote as in the case of the recent No Confidence Motions against the government, foreigners would have been able to buy up Sri Lanka\u2019s lands to the detriment of the country.\u201d<\/p>\n

The President said that his disagreement with Wickremesinghe could not be described as being purely personal .They were rooted in ideological and policy differences. There were disagreements about how to run the administration.<\/p>\n

The decision to sack Wickremesinghe on October 26 and appoint Mahinda Rajapaksa as Prime Minister was not taken on the spur of the moment, the President said.<\/p>\n

Differences had arisen even at the time of the formation of the cabinet in January 2015 soon after the Presidential election that month.<\/p>\n

I wanted the new administration to be run on scientific lines and had appointed a committee headed by Prof.Hettige to make suggestions. They committee did submit its report which I passed on to Prime Minister Wickremesinghe. But he took no notice of it. He distributed portfolios in the most unscientific manner. For example, the Higher Education Minister was also Minister for Highways. When I went abroad to negotiate agreements, those governments wondered if Highway\u00a0 construction was being taught in Sri Lanka\u2019s Higher Educational institutions,\u201d the President said.<\/p>\n

Wickremesinghe took the Central Bank under his wing when it ought to have been with the Finance Minister. While the State banks were with the Finance Minister, the Central Bank was with PM Wickremesinghe causing confusion,\u201d the President pointed out.<\/p>\n

Central Bank Robbery<\/strong><\/p>\n

Then, within weeks of the formation of the coalition government on January 9, 2015, there was the great Central Bank robbery, \u201d Sirisena said recalling the billion rupee bonds sale scam involving \u00a0\u00a0Wickremesinghe and his friend, the newly appointed Central Bank Governor Arjuna Mahendran.<\/p>\n

I asked Wickremesinghe not to appoint\u00a0 Mahendran because he was not a Sri Lankan citizen. But he argued that Mahendran he was the best candidate. I yielded because Wickremesinghe had worked hard to get me elected as President. But within weeks, the new Governor was party to the great Central Bank robbery.\u201d<\/p>\n

A Presidential Commission was appointed which pointed an accusing finger at Mahendran. He had to go on leave. Since the bank staff had become lethargic in the absence of the Governor I wanted to go to the bank and motivate the staff. But Wickremesinghe told me angrily not to go because the bank came under his purview and not mine. But I stood my ground and told him that as Executive President, I could go to any government institution.\u201d<\/p>\n

Again, when the Presidential Commission indicted Mahendran, Wickremesinghe made no effort to trace him and bring him back to the country even though there was a warrant against him,\u201d Sirisena pointed out.<\/p>\n

Ethnic Issue<\/strong><\/p>\n

On the ethnic issue too, the President said, he had differences with Wickremesinghe.<\/p>\n

I had seen to it that 90% of the lands taken over by the armed forces during the war was returned and I was working towards establishing\u00a0 a devolution system within a unitary\u00a0 state. But on the contrary, Wickremesinghe was taking away powers already devolved to the provinces such as Environment and Sustainable Development.\u201d<\/p>\n

Economic Policy<\/strong><\/p>\n

Further, Wickremesinghe was continually presenting cabinet proposals based on his neo-liberal policies which were antithetical to the economic interests of Sri Lankans.<\/p>\n

Every leader in every part of the world, including Trump, puts his country and its people first and pursues policies which will serve their interests, but Wickremesinghe\u2019s policies were at variance with this trend. I had to stop many of his proposals with the result, there used to be frequent verbal duels in the cabinet,\u201d Sirisena said.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Sri Lanka\u2019s ousted Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe (L) and the former Central Bank Governor, Arjuna Mahendran. (Photo: Ishara S.Kodikara AFP\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Electoral Debacle<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Lankan President said that matters came to a head after the debacle government parties suffered in the February 2018 Local Bodies elections.<\/p>\n

Sirisena told Wickremesinghe that it was because of his economic policies that the ruling United Peoples\u2019 Freedom Alliance and the United National Front were crushed.<\/p>\n