Mahinda who refuses to go to Commission for Serious Acts of Fraud ....
for 1000 lakhs ITN advt fraud .... gets down its officials home
Former president Mahinda Rajapaksa has been summoned by the Commission inquiring into Serous Acts of Fraud and Corruption today (23). However he has changed the proceedings and Mahinda Rajapaksa had taken measures to appear for the inquiry by getting down the officers of the
Commission to his Mirihana house.
The former President has been called to the Commission to obtain a statement in connection with a fraud and case of cheating in not settling a sum of 10 crores used for propaganda activities at the Presidential Election across the State-owned Independent Networks Channel. Though advertisements amounting to the value of Rs. 1600 for former President had been broadcast over Independent Television during past November - January period, it has been revealed that only a sum of close upon Rs. 600 lakhs has been paid in that connection and it has been exposed at the investigations that 1000 lakhs has been cheated.
The value of advertisements published by Presidential Candidate at that period over Independent Rupavahini by Presidential Candidate Maithripala Sirisena at that time too was revealed and it had come to a figure of only 26 lakhs. Though a further set of advertisements amounting to 18 lakhs was forwarded to Independent Rupavahini by Maithripala Sirisena, the administrative unit there had on purpose not published those advertisements and after the Presidential Elections the monies concerned had once again been credited to the Publicity Unit of Maithripala Sirisena and this has been reported in the audit report as a loss incurred by the biased publicity of Independent Rupavahini. In the same way, when considering the value of advertisements in the case of broadcasting a single advertisement of Mahinda Rajapaksa, it had been double the price of charges levied on broadcasting an advertisement of Maithripala Sirisena, the Commission had revealed.
In order to testify in this connection, former Minister of Mass Media Keheliya Rambukwella and former Chairman of Independent Rupavahini, Anura Siriwardena had been summoned and they had been requested to obtain a statement over the fraud of 1000 lakhs pertaining to former President Mahinda Rajapaksa at the inquiry to be held today at Bandaranaika International Memorial Hall. The former President had spoken to higher-ups in this respect and had changed the venue and therefore, instead the officials of the Commission are to contact him at his Mirihana house and secure the said statement concerned. During the previous 100 Day period of the regime, when the Bribery and Corruption Commission was to obtain a statement from Mahinda Rajapaksa, the latter's supporters with the motive of preventing it went to the extent of sleeping inside the parliament and after changing those instructions too those officers were summoned in the presence of Mahinda for the inquiry. Whether that statement was secured or not, it has still not been reported.
Subsequently on another occasion when the Police Crime Unit wanted to get a statement from former President's wife Shiranthi Rajapaksa in relation to a fraud over the Sirilaka Account, instead of going there she too had made her statement elsewhere at the Speaker's House by getting down the relevant officers.
These officers would be stepping into Mahinda's Mirihana home today for the third time.