24 May 2023 06:23 pm
MP Ali Sabri Raheem who was charged with smuglling gold said the consignment of gold did not belong to him.
"The consignment belong to a friend of mine and I was blamed for it at the end of the day," the MP told journalists in Parliament.
"I decided to vote against the motion to remove Public Utilities Commission Chairman Janaka Ratnayake from his post as both President Ranil Wickremesinghe and Prime minister Dinesh Gunawardena did not come to my rescue when I was faced with a difficulty," he added. (Yohan Perera and Ajith Siriwardana)