Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake last night said that said Rs 13.2 billion in an account maintained at the Taprobane branch of the Bank of Ceylon had been transferred to Consolidated Account of the Treasury.

The matter was being investigated as the account belonged to the Ministry of Defence, he added.

The Finance Minister stressed that the MoD had no right to maintain such an account in violation of regulations and therefore the opening of the account was being investigated.

The minister alleged that several illegal transactions including one involving Samurdhi had come to light. He estimated the Samurdhi transaction now under investigation at Rs. 4 billion.

Responding to the allegation, former Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa said that the funds received from the Shangri-la transaction had been deposited there and the funds utilised for the construction of Akuregoda Defence Complex.

The former Defence Secretary said that the chief accountant of the Defence Ministry could explain the matter. Insisting that particular account hadn’t been in his name, Mr. Rajapaksa said that a detailed response would be issued shortly.

Courtesy:The Island