MP D.V. Chanaka alleged that a monthly payment of Rs. 95,000 was paid to Ven. Dambara Amila Thera by a leading Gas company during the past three years. He said all court cases filed against then Joint Opposition (now Government) members are still going on without any interruption.
Addressing a press conference at the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) Head Quarters at Battaramulla yesterday, he said that Buddhist monks usually do not take money for preaching Bana and chanting Pirith.
“Therefore, may be the money that was allegedly paid was for slinging mud on Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and to promote the new Constitution which divides the country into nine pieces. These type of persons destroy the respect that the people have for religious leaders,” Chanaka said.
According to the MP, the company had allegedly paid the monthly salaries for another 38 persons and if they are not in the list, Ratnaptiya, Uyangoda, Prof. Wijesuriya etc should announce it to the public and get their names cleared.
“Corrupt persons are campaigning against the holding of elections because their corrupt activities would be revealed to the country,” he said.
MP Chanaka pointed out that on November 15 this year Bribery and Corruption Commission Deputy Director General Sunethra Jayasinghe had sent a letter to the Finance and Media Ministry querying about Rs.27 million in payments allegedly made to a group of people including Samanali Fonseka, Prof. Sarath Wijesuriya and Gamini Viyangoda during past three years for certain items etc. In her letter she says the payments are not tally with the real market prices of those items etc. “What the JVP states about court cases is not true and all court cases are proceeding without any interruption,” he said. MP Chanaka accused UNP Deputy Leader Sajith Premadasa of building shanties in the name of houses and only Rs. 8 million was spent on 20 houses.
“But, Rs. 20 million was spent for publicity and Rs.800,000 for three name boards which could have been used to build another three houses,” Chanaka alleged. “In then past, the Joint Opposition revealed about acts of corruption and malpractices with concrete evidence and by making formal complaints to the Bribery and Corruption Commission, But even a statement had not been recorded so far. Three and half years passed since the complaints were made. The UNP had allegedly paid over Rs.20 million as rent for some buildings while having state buildings that can be used. But everything will be revealed to the country in a proper way with evidence. One of the master minds of the Central Bank Bond scam is still free and another stays inside Temple Trees without any problems,” MP Chanaka said. MP Kanchana Wijesekera said allegations have been made that the Media Ministry had made payments to Samanali Fonseka, Prof.Sarath Wijesuriya and Gamini Viyangoda and 38 others.The Sri Lanka Podu Jana Peramuna Youth League said the Bribery Commission has queried from the Ministry about this questionable payment and called for clarifications. Wijesekera said the Media Ministry had made payments to a number of persons for variety of services rendered by them, during the past three and half years and the Bribery Commission was in a quandary about those payments.
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