News
CBK opts to remain neutral
Former president Chandrika Bandaranaike yesterday said she had decided to remain neutral at the presidential election, despite a large number of requests for support from some candidates.Issuing a press release, she said she had noted with concern, many media reports stating that she is supporting various candidates in the ongoing presidential election.
“I have not and will not extend my support to any candidate at the 2024 Presidential Election. The future of our country has never faced such uncertainty and challenges as it has today. All voters must reflect seriously when deciding to cast their vote,” she said.
Bandaranaike proposed voters to take into consideration not the individual, but programmes of action presented by each candidate, the manner, procedures and systems they will employ to implement the programmes, as well as the people who will be in charge of implementation.
“Priority should be given to the abolition of the Executive Presidency and to policies for the sectors of; Education, Health, Agriculture (especially small farmer agriculture), Small / Medium Industries and Enterprises, diversification of major Industries and exports, as well as the Plantation Sector, International Trade and Tourism,” she said.
Given below are excerpts of her press statement: “We, the voters, have an inalienable right to demand an assurance from the candidate of our choice, good and honest governance and the elimination of Corruption in government, proper implementation of the promised policies. Most importantly, this would mean the appointment of persons of high integrity, merit and qualifications to the Legislation, the Executive and Judiciary, and to all high posts of government. It would also mean setting up laws, systems, and procedures to ensure good governance and to eliminate the curse of corruption from our government institutions and from our land.
“Let us not forget the massive people’s movement, englobing the entire country, that erupted two years ago in 2022, demanding honesty and accountability in government — A Radical System Change.
“I believe this cannot be achieved through the present system where the citizens vote every 5 years to establish a government but have no say or participation in the way government is managed during the ensuing 5 year period.
“A government structure that includes citizen participation in government— in decision making and implementation is the only solution that could minimize wrong doing in government and achieve our dream of a System Change. It is proposed that a People’s Council be created through the Constitution.
“The Council will act in parallel with the government, to review proposed government policy before it is placed before parliament and give its views to the Cabinet of Ministers, who will take into consideration these views. The Council will also have authority to review implementation of these government policies and report to Parliament as well as to District Peoples’ Committees.
“The Peoples Council will be composed of leaders of Civil Society such as, representatives from Professional Associations/ Business Chambers/Academic Associations — university and school teachers/Trade Unions/ Farmers’ Organizations/ Retired Public Servants/ Artists Associations and NGO’s. 40% of the total membership of the Peoples’ Council will be Youth and 40% will be women.
“Thus, there will be direct participation in government by the People through their representatives. This will be a unique system designed to ensure Democratic governance in Sri Lanka. It will be an effective solution to eliminate corruption and waste, while ensuring efficiency in public services.
The future of our country is in your hands. I appeal to my fellow citizens to reflect seriously on the above proposal and use your precious vote to rebuild our damaged Nation, to rise up once again as an enlightened and great country.”
COPF final report on USD 2.5 mn cyber fraud recommends action against all responsible
The US$2.5 million loss incurred during Sri Lanka’s foreign debt repayment to Australia was a clear case of a cybercrime and theft, Committee on Public Finance (COPF) Chairman Dr. Harsha de Silva told Parliament yesterday.
Presenting the COPF final report on the cyber fraud, Dr. de Silva said the incident amounted to a serious financial crime and called for a comprehensive investigation, by law enforcement authorities, to identify and prosecute all those responsible.
The report revealed serious governance, procedural and operational failures that enabled the fraudulent transfer of public funds, while recommending sweeping reforms to strengthen cybersecurity, financial controls and public debt management systems.
According to the report, officials of the Treasury and the Central Bank bore responsibility for governance lapses that contributed to the failures. It also highlighted the fact that the Ministry of Finance was operating an outdated Microsoft Exchange Server after security support had ended, while basic safeguards, such as multi-factor authentication, had not been implemented.
The COPF said suspicious payment instructions linked to debt repayments involving India, the United Kingdom, Germany and Belgium had also been detected, preventing further losses. However, the US$ 2.5 million fraud materialised only in the repayment transaction involving Australia.
The report has noted that officials had failed to verify lender email domains, relied on unverified email communications and lacked adequate internal controls, allowing the fraud to continue for months.
Although the investigation uncovered system-wide weaknesses across several institutions, only four mid-level Finance Ministry officials had been suspended so far, the report said.
The COPF has recommended a special audit of the foreign debt repayment process, strengthened cybersecurity measures across state institutions, updated financial regulations and improvements to public debt management systems.
by Saman Indrajith
News
Opposition signs no-confidence motion against Justice Minister for dereliction of duty over Negombo Prison deaths
Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa, together with Opposition MPs, yesterday signed a No-Confidence Motion (NCM) in Parliament against Justice Minister Harshana Nanayakkara.The move comes in response to the unrest at the Negombo Prison, where both prison officers and inmates were killed.
Opposition members said the Minister had failed to fulfill his responsibility and accountability regarding their safety.According to the Opposition group, the NCM seeks to hold the Minister directly accountable for lapses in ensuring protection within the prison system.
The Attorney General yesterday informed the Supreme Court that the government has decided to review the legality of agreements entered into by the previous administration to hand over the country’s electronic visa issuance operations to private companies.
Additional Solicitor General Viveka Siriwardena, appearing for the Attorney General, made the submission when the Supreme Court took up the fundamental rights petitions filed by former MPs President’s Counsel M.A. Sumanthiran, Patali Champika Ranawaka, and Rauff Hakeem, challenging the previous Cabinet’s decision to outsource the e-visa system.
The petitions were heard before a three-judge bench, comprising Chief Justice Preethi Padman Surasena and Justices Achala Wengappuli and Arjuna Obeyesekere.
The Additional Solicitor General informed court that the current Cabinet had appointed a subcommittee to examine the legality of the agreements with the private companies and requested time to report on its findings, stating that the review was still underway.
President’s Counsel Sumanthiran, appearing as one of the petitioners, told the court that although the present government had indicated its intention to cancel the transaction, the petitioners wished to proceed with the case.
He noted that members of the current Cabinet had been named as respondents in the petitions.The Supreme Court directed the petitioners to issue notice on the members of the current Cabinet, named as respondents, and fixed September 29 for further proceedings.
Spain leave it late to book semifinal date with France
Showers will occur in the Sabaragamuwa, Western and North-western provinces and in Galle, Matara, Kandy and Nuwara-Eliya districts
US$ 2.5 mn cyber heist exposes system failures
Opposition signs no-confidence motion against Justice Minister for dereliction of duty over Negombo Prison deaths
AG informs SC of e-visa agreement review
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