Public Safety Minister Sagala Ratnayake came in for strong criticism at last Tuesday’s weekly ministerial meeting. It was over the alleged inability of the Police to deal with cases relating to former Minister and National Freedom Front (NFF) leader Wimal Weerawansa.
His party colleague Sujeewa Senasinghe was the first to raise it when he was acting for his Minister Malik Samarawickrama. Raising issue for a second week in succession were Ministers Rajitha Senaratne and Patali Champika Ranawaka.
The two Ministers alleged that the Police were being allowed to do what they wanted. As a result the probe on the death of a youth at Mr Weerawansa’s residence was proceeding at a slow pace with nothing known about the Government Analyst’s report.
The issue came to the fore when ministers were discussing a Cabinet Memorandum on the Krrish project – the construction of high rise apartments and malls in the Transworks House premises in Fort.
During the discussion, alleged payments made to Hambantota parliamentarian Namal Rajapaksa figured. Some ministers were to point out that Rajapaksa did not receive payments and claimed funds were received for development of rugby football in Sri Lanka.
Minister Thalatha Athukorale was to raise issue of an interview the Auditor General Gamini Wijesinghe gave and was published in last week’s the Sunday Times. Photo copies of the publication were circulated. She claimed that it was not in keeping with the independent role of the Auditor General.
But President Maithripala Sirisena cut the fair lady minister short and pointed out that Auditor General Wijesinghe would have only defended himself in the wake of bitter personal criticism levelled against him by politicians. Several UNP MPs have been highly critical of the Auditor General over his Department’s investigations into the Central Bank’s bond issue of February 27, 2015.
The same meeting also saw Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera raising issue over what he called interested parties attempting to create communal strife. During the discussion, it transpired that existing laws were adequate to deal with those responsible. It was agreed that tough action would be taken.
Courtesy:Sunday Times