Trade Minister calls for two-day debate on misappropriation of Mahapola funds

By Saman Indrajith

Trade Minister Bandula Gunawardena yesterday called for a two-day parliamentary debate on the issues pertaining to the misappropriation of monies of the Mahapola Scholarship Fund during the times of the yahapalana government.

The government MPs expressed their approval for the debate.

Minister Gunawardena said that the late Trade Minister Lalith Athulathmudali had set up the Mahapola Trust Fund to help poor students pursue their higher education. Some racketeers had helped themselves to the funds meant for students, and Parliament had to discuss the issue, the Minister said.

Minister Gunawardena said so after Chairman of the Parliamentary watchdog committee- COPE (Committee on Public Enterprises) MP Prof. Chairtha Herath had presented the Committee’s report on Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology set up by the investments arm of the Mahapola Trust Fund.

Prof. Herath said that there was a problem pertaining to the misappropriation of the Mahapola Trust Fund money and action should be taken to prevent the recurrence of such incidents. The report, tabled in Parliament yesterday, contained measures to be put in place to avoid the incidents of misappropriation of funds of the MTF in the future.