Corruption and economic turmoil

So far nothing has been reported of the progress into the Pandora Papers investigation since ex-minister Nirupama Rajapaksa and husband gave evidence before the Bribery Commission some months ago.

But two or three years ago the media including The Island published a list of Ministers and MPs who had sold their imported duty-free vehicles at enormous profits. Names of Ministers of both the UNP and SLFP appeared in the list. They had no moral right to sell their vehicles which had been imported using valuable foreign exchange. It is time to get them to return the profits earned to the depleted coffers of the Treasury with interest.

In the Sunday island newspaper of 27 March former Minister W Rajapakse, PC has alleged that members of the ruling family have initiated projects to earn commissions. It is not known whether these are unsolicited commissions or not. But the public are aware that ministers of all former governments since JRJ’s “Dharmista” days have been beneficiaries of commissions credited to their foreign bank accounts.

This was the case with the new development project of the Negombo hospital. Recently a very knowledgeable old timer and regular scribe, Mr GAD Sirimal pointed out that a former Energy or Power Minister had tried to “raise” cost of the project by including probably the commission to be gained, and it had fallen through.

It is proposed that:

1) all Ministers and MPs past and present and their immediate blood relations and spouses be required to sign “declarations” to the effect that they are not beneficiaries of assets owned by them or donated to them by former ministers of the state. These declarations will include a provision that if they have made false declarations their current assets would be confiscated and they would be sentenced to a life term in prison.

2) The Department of the Attorney General should be placed outside the purview of the President like the Judicial Services Commission.

3) Funds donated to the major political parties by present /former ministers be returned to the Treasury unless these funds can be proved to have been earned in a legitimate manner.

4) Ministers and MPs who sold their duty-free cars without permission should be required to return their profits plus interest earned to the Treasury.

Leo Fernando, Negombo