Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe on Monday testified before a presidential commission of inquiry probing an alleged bond scam at Sri Lanka’s Central Bank.
This is the first time that a Premier has appeared before a President-appointed panel of investigation, local media reports said. Amid criticism from political opponents, Ministers and lawmakers from Mr. Wickremesinghe’s United National Party (UNP) hailed their leader’s “voluntary” appearance in front of the panel, as a mark of his commitment to transparency and good governance.
Accused of having shared classified information
Former Central Bank Governor Arjuna Mahendran — appointed by Mr. Wickremesinghe in 2015 — is accused of having shared classified information with his son-in-law’s firm Perpetual Treasuries, which reportedly made profits worth millions of dollars from the Central Bank’s bond auction. Mr. Mahendran has denied the allegations, but stepped down in 2016 following the controversy. After an 18-month-long probe, a parliamentary committee on public enterprises held Mr. Mahendran “directly responsible”.
Meanwhile, vowing tough action on wrongdoers, President Maithripala Sirisena appointed a special presidential commission in January 2017 to inquire into the alleged malpractice in the bond issue. The panel is expected to submit its findings to the President next month.
