UNP welcomes SPC to probe bond issue: Kabir

The UNP today said it welcomed the appointment of a Special Presidential Commission (SPC) to investigate the bond issue.

UNP Secretary and Minister Kabir Hashim told Parliament today the SPC report would be forwarded to the Attorney General.

"We will also submit the report of the parliamentary Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) to Attorney General," the minister said and added that scams which are known to have taken place at the Central Bank during Nivard Cabraal's tenure as governor should also be probed.

"Nivard Cabral's sister was a director of Perpetual Treasuries" he said.

The minister said Entrust Securities was engaged in a Rs.1.2 billion scam in 2014 and this too should be probed.

“We propose that a Special Presidential Commission be appointed to probe this scam as well," he said and added that this was the first debate in Parliament on a COPE report.

“No one was allowed to speak on scams during the previous regime but we have allowed such a thing today," he said. (Yohan Perera)