PTL funding: COPE should decide on its members- Speaker

Speaker Karu Jayasuriya today told Parliament that leaders of political parties representing Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) should decide on its members in the said committee, who had allegedly held transactions with Perpetual Treasuries Chief Arjun Aloysius.

Speaker Jayasuriya said this in response to MP Shehan Semasinghe, who requested the Speaker to remove members of COPE, who had carried out financial transactions with PTL Chief Aloysius.

“We appreciate the efforts you have made to safeguard the dignity of MPs but we request you to remove the COPE members who had received cheques from Aloysius,” Mr Semasinghe told Speaker.

Speaker Jayasuriya in response said leaders of political parties whom the COPE members belong to, should decide on it and that he would take it up with those political party leaders on the matter. (Yohan Perera and Ajith Siriwardana)