News
Vijitha Herath makes another allegation, but Kanchana stands his ground
By Saman Indrajith
The JVP-led NPP alleged in Parliament, on Tuesday, that a great deal of public funds had been siphoned off through a deal to import crude oil to Sri Lanka from the United Arab Emirates from January to April this year.
JVP-led NPP MP Vijitha Herath said that the Cabinet approval had been granted for importing crude oil from United Arab Emirates-based Coral Energy DMCC Company but the delivery had been made by a different company of which the official address indicated that it was a jewellery shop in the UAE.
Herath said that the Cabinet of Ministers had granted permission on December 19, 2022, for importing crude oil from the Coral Energy DMCC for the four months from January to April 30, 2023. The first ship carrying crude oil reached the Colombo Port on March 25 and the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation unloaded the consignment of 2.8 million barrels of crude oil of the brand known as Siberian Light on the following day. Later, it came to light that the delivery had been made by a different company by the name of Fontus Trading DMCC. The officials of the CPC have complained that this brand of crude oil was substandard. This is an illegal act. It is illegal for the CPC to unload oil from a company which has not been given Cabinet approval. A huge sum of public money has been spent,” Herath said.
Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekera accused MP Herath of misleading the House with false information. These are groundless allegations,” the Minister said.
MP Herath then tabled the copies of Cabinet approval and tender application by the Fontus DMCC and a Cabinet paper, signed by Minister Wijesekera, seeking the approval to grant the Fontus DMCC permission to supply crude oil to Sri Lanka. “This Cabinet paper was rejected. After that the approval was granted to the Coral Energy DMCC, but the delivery has been made by the Fontus DMCC. The Attorney General’s opinion, too, has been sought to get the approval for the Fontus DMCC, however the AG has rejected the proposal. I am tabling the letter by the AG opposing this deal with the Fontus DMCC. The government needs to explain where the massive sum of money had gone through this illegal act,” the MP said.
As government members tried to disrupt MP Herath’s speech, the Deputy Chairman of Committees Angajan Ramananthan was seen trying to bring the House under control.
Minister Wijesekera accused MP Herath of misleading the House and challenged the latter to state the same outside Parliament, if possible.
“I have tabled all documentary proofs and requested that they be included in the Hansard. The Minister tried to get the Cabinet’s approval for this Fontus Company once again on April 03, this year. I table that document, too. This deal has been opposed by the Procurement Committee, the AG and even the officials of CPC have complained that the Siberian Light is substandard. This is how the government plays with public money,” the MP said.
The Department of Education has announced that the results of the 2024 General Certificate of Education Advanced Level Examination have been released online, and can be viewed on : www.doenets.lk
Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya stated that the training of teachers required for the new education reforms will commence in May, and that contracts granted to political cronies in local government institutions will be brought to an end following the upcoming local government elections.
The Prime Minister made these remarks while addressing public gatherings held in the areas of Mirigama, Minuwangoda, and Katana in the Gampaha District.
Addressing the gatherings, Prime Minister stated:
“From birth to death, all the aspects of life of a person are handled by local government institutions. However, to this day, these institutions lack proper systems even to provide the people with basic facilities.
We are committed to working with a proper system, free of fraud and corruption, and managing every rupee carefully and attentively. We are identifying the needs of people and implementing projects under a systematic plan to develop rural sectors.
You elect fellow members who stand firmly against fraud and corruption through two decisive elections. First, you elect Anura Kumara as President, a leader committed to fighting corruption. Then, in the parliamentary election, you choose a group of qualified individuals who are equally dedicated to this cause to represent you in Parliament.
To ensure that the funds allocated for rural development reach the people, the local government institutions which are the closest to the villagers must also be clean and transparent. That is why this election is so important to us.
The people and the villages come to experience our corruption-free political culture through local government institutions. These institutions must properly implement, monitor, and evaluate the development projects allocated to the rural sector. The era of awarding contracts for such projects to political cronies must end.
Although early childhood development is a crucial part of education, there has never been a proper system for it. We are now establishing such a system. Starting in May, teacher training for the modern education which is being introduced will begin. We have a comprehensive plan for development across all sectors.
The Ministry of Education has received billions worth of projects, but there is no proper implementation process. For example, 1,500 smart boards were brought for smart classrooms, but the Secretary to the Ministry has not implemented a system to distribute them to schools. Teachers have not been trained to use them. Teacher training institutes still follow outdated curriculum. This will be corrected through the new education reforms,
In order to deliver all these benefits to the rural sector efficiently, it is essential to elect the right people for the right purposes. Therefore, in the upcoming local government elections, Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya urged the public to vote for the candidates who are free from fraud and corruption presented by the National People’s Power (NPP).”
The event was attended by Parliament Chief Organizer of the ruling party Dharmapriya Wijesinghe, Members of Parliament Ruwanthilaka Jayakody and Chaminda Lalith Kumara, along with several local government candidates and the residents of the area.
[Prime Minister’s Media Division]
Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath will represent Sri Lanka at the funeral of Pope Francis in the Vatican City, the Ministry said.
The funeral is scheduled for today.
About 50,000 people came to pay their respects to the late Pope on Thursday, the Vatican news service said.
“Pope Francis’ funeral Mass will take place on Saturday, April 26, at 10:00 AM in St. Peter’s Square, marking the beginning of the Novemdiales, an ancient tradition of nine days of mourning and Masses for the repose of the late Pope’s soul,” according to the Vatican news service.
“The Novemdiales Masses will be held each day at 5:00 PM (GMT +2) in St. Peter’s Basilica, except for the Mass on Divine Mercy on Sunday, April 27, which will take place at 10:30 AM in St. Peter’s Square.”
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