He drew monthly salary of Rs. 70,000 as CBSL Governor

‘I did not avail myself of duty-free vehicle permit’

State Minister of Finance, Capital Markets and State Enterprise Reforms, Ajith Nivard Cabraal, says he has been denied his retirement benefits as a former Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) although he was offered them when he was appointed to the post. He said so when he was asked to comment on the ongoing CBSL pension controversy.

Cabraal’s letter of appointment, dated 22 June 2006 and signed by Lalith Weeratunga, the then Secretary to the President, offers him a salary of Rs. 70,000 (seventy thousand rupees) a month excluding allowances and payment in respect of expenses incurred for entertainment as approved by the Monetary Board.

The appointment letter, seen by The Island, offers him pension benefits. It says, “The Provident Fund contribution, pension benefits and leave facilities would be in accordance with the rules prevailing in the Central Bank.”

Admitting that he had written to the then CBSL Governor Dr. Indrajith Coomaraswamy on 12 Feb. 2019, requesting him to arrange for his pension benefits, Cabraal said: “I have NOT received a single CENT as a pension. Neither have I availed myself of the duty-free vehicle from the government after working as the Central Bank Governor for nearly nine years.”