The aftershocks of the revelations of donations to political campaigns by the alleged Bond Scam suspect Arjun Aloysius’s Perpetual Treasuries and affiliates are still reverberating the political establishment and Lankan society with many watchdog organisations, activists and politicians demanding a list of recipients and many mud-slinging matches between politicians on both sides.
Hard on the heels of MP Jayasekera’s admission of receiving Rs.1 million from Walt and Row Associates affiliated to primary dealer Perpetual Treasuries, Minister General Sarath Fonseka dropped another massive bombshell by admitting that he too had received a cash donation of nearly Rs. 100000 from Aloysius for his election campaign. The Minister described this as a normal practice by the businessmen during election time.
Making a caustic comment to the media, UPFA Hambantota District MP Namal Rajapaksa said during election time, it is a common phenomenon that some people give money to politicians, ‘to bestow merit on their departed parents and other kith and kin’.
“Former Minister Jayasekara admitted that Arjun Aloysuis gave him money. The question is that a 12 billion rupee financial fraud cannot just be restricted to a mere Rs.1 million given to himself. It is high time to disclose who the mastermind behind this massive financial scams. As himself said the names of others who obtained money need to be disclosed in the interest of the country. We would like to ask the Police as to why they waited until crossed over to the Opposition to prosecute him.,” Rajapaksa charged last week.
Deputy Minister of Social Empowerment Ranjan Ramanayake is in the forefront of those calling for investigation and revelation of those accepting the largesse from Arjun Aloysius. Deputy Minister Ramanayake in an interview with the Sunday Observer said that the former Minister Jayasekara and a UNP MP have already been exposed for getting money from Perpetual Treasuries.
The names of another 116 including some Cabinet Ministers, State Ministers, Deputy Ministers, Buddhist monks, clergy, artistes, sportsmen, media institution owners and journalists who had obtained money from Perpetual Treasuries are yet to be disclosed, he claimed.
Commenting on the recent controversy surrounding former Minister of Sports and UPFA Kurunegala District MP Jayasekara’s acknowledgement of receiving Rs.1 million from Walt and Row Associates affiliated to primary dealer Perpetual Treasuries Ltd, Ramanayake said he has already filed a Right to Information (RTI) application requesting the relevant authorities to provide the details of these 116 people who have obtained money from Perpetual Treasuries. He said he has already received information on 50 to 75 percent of them. According to the RTI Act, the relevant authority is bound to provide the required information within 14 days. Once the full information is received, the Deputy Minister said he would resort to legal action against those who had obtained money from Perpetual Treasuries.
Ramanayake admitted he had also been offered money by Perpetual Treasuries but said he had categorically rejected the cash. He had recordings of the whole telephone conversation, he added. The Deputy Minister said he refused the money because he knew Aloysius’ company was tainted by the bond controversy. Many other politicians however had been caught in the Perpetual Treasuries trap.
Rejecting outright the claim that MP Jayasekara’s name was exposed because he quit the Government, Deputy Minister Ramanayake said this could be accepted as a valid reason. Citing an example, he pointed out as to how the National Unity Government removed UNP Colombo District MP and UNP Assistant Leader Ravi Karunanayake from his Finance ministry portfolio a year ago.
Many of those who took money from Perpetual had performed those transactions through friends and family members, he added.
Ramanayake said the difference with this Government was that as soon as the Treasury Bond scandal came to light, steps were taken to block Rs.12 billion in funds and 26 accounts of Perpetual Treasuries. “The owner of Perpetual Treasuries Arjun Aloysius and its CEO Kasun Palisena are still in remand custody. In addition, President’s Chief of Staff I.K.Mahanama along with P.Dissanayake who was heading the State Timber Corporation were also arrested for soliciting a bribe from an Indian investor. Former State Timber Corporation Chairman and former JVP MP Anurudhha Polgampola was arrested by CID detectives in connection with an alleged fraud,” Ramanayake elaborated. “The Government is currently tracking down the crooks. Some JO MPs are also out on bail for various misdeeds and they should also be brought before the law,” he added.
“The way Minister Jayasekera shouted in and out of Parliament about corruption, we never thought he would have taken money from Perpetual Treasuries. Now the cat is out of the bag,” the Deputy Minister quipped.
Meanwhile, Convener of the Voice Against Corruption Wasantha Samarasinghe told the Sunday Observer that the Government should immediately disclose the details pertaining to 166 cheques amounting to Rs.1190 million including Rs.1 million allegedly given to former Sports Minister Jayasekara by Perpetual Treasuries during the Treasury Bond scam.
He said six months previously, the Attorney General’s Department had submitted details to the courts that Perpetual Treasuries on several occasions had deposited Rs.1190 million in Seylan Bank account maintained by the Mendis Company Limited. They had issued 166 cheques worth Rs.1190 million using the money in that particular bank account. But none of that money was in that bank account after September, 2016. Samarasinghe said that they suspect that a cheque of Rs.1 million had been issued to MP Jayasekara in 2015 by using that money. “ We call upon the President and the Prime Minister to immediately expose the details of other 165 cheques worth Rs.1189 million issued and also discloses the names of the persons who received it,” Samarasinghe said.