HAS PRASANNA RANATUNGA SOLD LANDS IN WESTERN PROVINCE ....

Maureen Stella Ranatunga, wife of Western Province Chief Minister Mr. Prasanna Ranatunga has gone to the Financial Crimes Investigation Department yesterday to check allegations relating to land transactions of the Chief Minister. She was subjected to interrogation there for a period close upon 4 hours.

Police have received complaints to the effect that Prasanna Ranatunga by manipulating his position of Chief Minister has sold lands of a high value around Colombo belonging to the provincial council and had subsequently credited that money to his wife's bank account as well as that of other members of the family. One such complaint is that a piece of marshy land belonging to the provincial council valued over a 1000 lakhs in Battaramulla area was sold to a person in Moratuwa for a sum of 600 lakhs after filling it up and that a sum of a crore and a half from that money had been credited to his wife's account with his notice. As such it was questioned as to how she came to acquire Rs. one and a half crore into her account.

In the same way, the Chief Minister's wife is being questioned because she too is connected to an agreement where the Chief Minister of Western Province has obtained a sum of Rs. 50 lakhs saying that illegal residents who had been occupying a land in Wellampitiya area belonging to a businessman was to be developed. Mr. Prasanna Ranatunga, the Chief Minister of Western Province too is expected to be questioned in relation to this incident.

In the process it was stated at a media briefing held by the Chief Minister yesterday that steps are in the offing to take him into custody in order to sabotage the election campaign of former President Mr. Mahinda Rajapaksa. He has also said that an attempt is being made to take him into custody this way based on a private transaction because there has been no allegation of bribery or corruption so far in his political career.