JVP accuses government of violating due process over nano fertilizer deal

The JVP Friday accused the Government of violating due process and depositing USD 1.275 million to an account of a private company as payment for recently imported nano liquid nitrogenfertilizer from India.

JVP propaganda Secretary Vijitha Herath told Parliament on Friday that the Treasury had requested the People’s Bank to release USD 1.275 million as payment for the import on Oct 18.

“The due process for this type of transaction would be to make payments from the accounts maintained by the Ceylon Fertilizer Company Ltd. However, President’s Secretary P.B. Jayasundera had intervened and ordered the People’s Bank to open a separate private account at its Town Hall Branch under the name United Farmers Trust Limited (UFTL)on Oct 18,” Herath said.

He said that after opening the account, funds of the People’s Bank had been transferred to the company’s account.”Directors of this company named as Mohan Perera and G. M. Weerasinghe. Who are these people? Are they public servants? The parliament has a right to know  how the payment was made to the Indian Farmers Fertilizer Cooperative Limited (IFFCO),” the MP said.

He said that the UFTL had paid USD 300,000 to IFFCO and another USD 50,000 as freight charges and another USD 37,000 as payments. “This is only a part of the total payment. What happened to the rest of the money,” he demanded to know from the government.

“Not only that, It has been also revealed that a Director of UFTL Limited had repeatedly requested People’s Bank to convert the remaining money into local currency. Why is that? This is a serious concern. I have to say that the Parliament has the monetary power. But we have been kept in dark on this matter until now. The government should investigate this immediately,” he said.

Agriculture Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage said that it was the Indian High Commission in Sri Lanka which facilitated the fertilizer imports.

“The IFFCO had appointed the UFTL as its Sri Lankan representative. That is why the government paid the money to them and they opened the LCs for the import after that,” the minister said.