Next COPE report on Oct 13

The Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) will present its next report, with details of the controversial bond issue, in Parliament on October 13 this year, its chairman Sunil Handunnetti said yesterday.

Mr. Handunnetti said this in response to an allegation by Joint opposition MP Bandula Gunawardena that there was a sinister move to sweep the bond issue under the carpet.

"There is no sinister move to sweep the issue under the carpet; COPE is working according to a road map with regard to the Bond issue, and the details of it will be included in the next report which will come out on October 13," he said.

He said that all the documents pertaining to the bond issue would be included in the report.

“It will be possible to have a debate on this report once it is presented in the House" he said.

Mr Gunawardena asked why the COPE report which was presented in Parliament last month did not give special consideration to the Bond issue.

“We believe that there is a move to sweep the bond scam under the carpet through various means. Several tactics have been adopted for this purpose, such as changing the membership of COPE," he said. (Yohan Perera and Kelum Bandara)