Chairman leaves COPE Committee hot-tempered because of influence to rescue Arjun from Central Bank Bond scam

A special COPE Committee meeting was held in parliament today (24) regarding the Central Bank Bond Scam which created a sensation and in the process with the UNP Party voicing their opinions continuously and was trying to change the observations made by the Auditor General a somewhat heated situation has taken place.

Except for Ranjan Ramanayaka and Rauf Hakeem only members of the United National Party representing the COPE Committee had attended the session. UNP MPs Ajith P. Perera, Harsha de
Silva, Harshana Rajakaruna, Sujeewa Serasingha and Hector Appuhamy argued in this instance, it was reported. On that occasion an alternate report relevant to the Central Bank Bond transaction prepared by them was forwarded to those present and an influence was made to withdraw sections quoted in the observations by the Auditor General in which he had inferred that Arjun Mahendra is responsible for a fraud.

In that instance the Chairman of COPE Committee, Member of Parliament of Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna, Mr. Sunil Handunetti voiced his protest that these were not his own ideas and had pointed out that they were the Auditor General's independent observations and therefore it could not be dismissed. But the UNP group kept on expressing their views without a break and as a result the Chairman of the COPE Committee stated that the new report cannot be endorsed according to his conscience. MP Sunil Handunetti who went into a temper on that occasion then got up from the Chairman's seat in a rage saying, "If influences of this type is made ... appoint a person you want!" This COPE Report is a report that is expected to be forwarded in parliament tomorrow (25). The statement given to Sirasa Channel after this incident, from below