Asian Tribune: Colombo: Tuesday, June 05, 2018.
Asian Tribune
has demanded the release of the names of 118 Members of Parliament who had
taken money from Perpetual Treasury.
In my
capacity as the Editor of Asian Tribune, I have written to the Information
Officer, B.K.S. Ravindra, who is the Additional Secretary to the Sri Lanka
President requesting under the Right to Information Act No: 12 of 2016, for
information about the names of 118 Members of Parliament, who had taken money
from the Perpetual Treasuries, as revealed in the final report of the
Presidential Commission of Inquiry (PCoI) into the Bond Issuance of the Central
Bank of Sri Lanka.
Already Asian
Tribune published a news report dated 2nd April 2018 to publish in hard copy
version the two Presidential Commission Reports in all the three languages.
Accordingly,
in the news report it was reported that -
“The final
report of the Presidential Commission of Inquiry (PCoI) into the Bond Issuance
of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka has been handed over to President HE
Maithripala Sirisena on 30 December 2017. Only the President’s website is
carrying the full text of the “Presidential Commission of Inquiry (PCoI) into
the Bond Issuance of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka,” minus hundreds of pages in
the English Language.
In the case
of the second Presidential Commission of Inquiry to investigate and inquire
into Serious Acts of Fraud, Corruption and Abuse of Power, State Resources and
Privileges (PRECIFAC) and the report, consisting of 1,135 pages, was handed
over on 3 January 2018, at the Presidential Secretariat by the Chairman of the
Commission.
The
Commission of Inquiry to investigate and inquire into Serious Acts of Fraud,
Corruption and Abuse of Power, State Resources and Privileges (PRECIFAC)
report, again has been tabled in the Parliament and the report has been made
available online on Sinhala language only on the President’s official website.”
Conclusively
Asian Tribune has requested to reveal those 118 Members of Parliamentarians who
have received monies from Perpetual Treasuries Chief Arjun Aloysius.
Given Below
the full text of the letter written by Asian Tribune requesting for the names
of 118 Members of Parliament alleged to have obtained money from Arjun Aloysius
of the Perpetual Treasuries:
Information
Officer,
Mr. B.K.S.
Ravindra,
Additional
Secretary to the President,
Presidential
Secretariat,
Galle Face,
Colombo 1.
30 May 2018
Dear Sir,
Right Of
Information Under Act No: 2016 - Reveal Names of 118 Members of Parliament, Who
Had Taken Money From Perpetual Treasuries
I hereby
request under the Right to Information Act No: 12 of 2016 for information about
the names of 118 Members of Parliament, who had taken money from the Perpetual
Treasuries, as revealed in the final report of the Presidential Commission of
Inquiry (PCoI) into the Bond Issuance of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka.
The PCoI
report was publicized by the President’s Office earlier this year, but it is
alleged that several hundred pages of the report were withheld. Furthermore,
those withheld pages contain names of those MPs who received donations
amounting to Rs. 1.3 billion from Perpetual Treasuries, belonging to Arjuna
Aloysius.
It is
intriguing to note why the Sri Lankan President HE Maithripala Srisena decided
to withhold that vital information from reaching the general public.
In the ‘Asian
Tribune', dated 2nd April 2018, we have already asked, “Why General Public
Denied Of Copies Of Two Presidential Commission Reports?”
Already, two
Presidential Commission Reports were handed over to President HE Maithripala
Srisena by the respective Commissioners.
The final
report of the Presidential Commission of Inquiry (PCoI) into the Bond Issuance
of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka has been handed over to President HE
Maithripala Sirisena on 30 December 2017. Only the President’s website is
carrying the full text of the “Presidential Commission of Inquiry (PCoI) into
the Bond Issuance of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka,” minus hundreds of pages in
the English Language.
In the case
of the second Presidential Commission of Inquiry to investigate and inquire
into Serious Acts of Fraud, Corruption and Abuse of Power, State Resources and
Privileges (PRECIFAC) and the report, consisting of 1,135 pages, was handed
over on 3 January 2018, at the Presidential Secretariat by the Chairman of the
Commission.
The
Commission of Inquiry to investigate and inquire into Serious Acts of Fraud,
Corruption and Abuse of Power, State Resources and Privileges (PRECIFAC)
report, again has been tabled in the Parliament and the report has been made
available online on Sinhala language only on the President’s official website.
I am
enclosing the printed version of the news report dated 2nd April 2018that
appeared on the Asian Tribune for your easy reference.
“Perpectual
Treasuries Chief Arjun Aloysius offered me money in 2015 but I refused to
accept it,” Deputy Minister Ranjan Ramanayake said in a news item that appeared
in ‘Daily Mirror’, dated 2018-05-29, under the headline “I declined PTL money:
Ranjan"
According to
the above mentioned report, Mr. Ramanayake told in a media briefing that, he
was among the many MPs who were offered money by the Perpetual Treasuries
Chief.
“I was
offered money by Aloysius but I refused to accept saying I don’t want to
associate with them,” he has reportedly said.
Further he
said Aloysius and Palisena are revealing details of the people to whom they
gave money from prison.
In the
meantime, Deputy Minister Ranjan Ramanayake also revealed, that “President
Maithripala Sirisena assured me that he would soon reveal those who got into
deals with the corrupt, right from January 8, 2015, Deputy Minister Ranjan
Ramanayake said yesterday.
Mr.
Ramanayake said, the President made this assurance when speaking to him over
the telephone last morning.
“President
called me after seeing the statement I made last week that those who pledged to
arrest the corrupt within 24 hours of coming to power, but gave helicopters for
them to get away. He told me that he was not involved in those matters. I told
him to make a public statement and disclose everything to the people.
Therefore, he agreed to make a public statement and disclose everything,” Mr.
Ramanayake said.
The Deputy
Minister said the President also instructed him to send application to his
office asking for the names of 118 persons who had obtained cheques from
Perceptual Treasuries Chief Arjun Aloysius under Right to information Act (RTI)
and he had already sent an application.
“I hope the Prime
Minister will also make a statement and reveal everything to the people,” he
also said.
In conclusion
I take this opportunity request you sir to reveal those 118 Members of
Parliamentarians who have received monies from Perceptual Treasuries Chief Arjun
Aloysius.
Trust you
will consider to give maximum priority to this request and send in your
response without any delay.
Thanks and
regards.
K.T.Rajasingham
Chief Editor,
Asian Tribune
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