Bandula utters falsehood

Severely reprimanded by Commission

MP Bandula Gunawardane was severely reprimanded yesterday by the Presidential Commission to Investigate and Inquire into the Issuance of Treasury Bonds, for misleading the public by providing false information on its ongoing proceedings.

The Commission summoned MP Gunawardane yesterday to the Commission for disseminating wrong information via the media.

Asked if he did or did not give incorrect information regarding a request letter sent by the Joint Opposition to the Commission, Gunawardane admitted that in fact he did.

The Commission chided Gunawardena not to devalue the exhaustive examinations done by the Commission on the CBSL Treasury Bond issue.

The matter which drew the attention of the Commission is on a statement made by MP Gunawardana to the electronic media on March 7, 2015 highlighting that the JO has sent a requesting letter to the Commission to testify and provide certain documents which were not in possession with the Commission ,regarding the CBSL Treasury bond issue.

Gunawardane told the media that the letter of request was sent to the Presidential Commission whereas it was not.

In an attempt to evade the rigorous questioning directed by Senior Additional Solicitor General Dappula de Livera, MP Gunawardana initially mentioned that he only told the media that JO is going to send the said letter.

As the Commission then quoted Gunawardane’s statement for the purpose of his recollection, the MP had no choice but to admit that he indeed incorrectly stated that the JO had already sent the letter.

However, in an attempt to dodge the embarrassment, Gunawardane went on to explain that perhaps he said so by mistake.

It was observed that, perhaps, MP Gunawardane got his past tense and future tense befuddled when he was making the questioned statement.

Asked as to why he or the JO did not respond to the public notice issued by the Commission to grant opportunity to testify before the Commission, Gunawardane said they were not able to meet the time restrictions to send in the application form. Gunawardane then was granted the opportunity to testify before the Commission.

He was kindly requested by the Commission to condense his statement to facts and information and not political statements or any other prejudices.

Gunawardane failed to provide the Commission with documents he was referring to, as he testified, since none of them were authentic and had authors.

Gunawardane limited his statement to four main points, including a request to the Commission to inspect the role played by the Bank of Ceylon, to which the Commission replied ; “We have already undertaken that task.”

Gunawardane was allowed to show him bundles of evidences that the Commission has collected and is analyzing at the moment.

The MP made a request from the Commission to allow JO members MP Mahindananda Aluthgamage and MP Nandalal Dissanayake who were members of the COPE committee to testify before the Commission.It was pointed out that COPE Chairman MP Sunil Handunnetti and former Chairman D.E.W.Gunasekara are both to be summoned before the Commission.

“We have almost by-hearted the two COPE reports regarding this matter. So, there is no need to repeat the same in front of us. However, we will try to accomodate at least one of your members,” the Commission said.

Gunawardane also produced an anonymous document to the Commission, including data regarding the treasury bond issuances, which the Commission pointed out to the MP, is already in their possession under the signature of one Wasantha Samarasekara, the President of the Inter Companies Workers Association.

MP Namal Rajapaksa was also present at the Commission as the legal representative of MP Bandula Gunawardane.