3 April 2019 09:20 pm
JVP MP Nalinda Jayatissa said today the Indian minister who was said to be the investor of the Hambantota oil refinery was not only a blacklisted businessman, but also a politician involved in huge financial scam in India and therefore questioned his credibility as a reliable investor.
He told parliament that they were not against investments brought into the country and added that the investors should be reliable. "This said minister had been involved in the largest financial scam ever in India.
He is a blacklisted businessman. How can such a person be received as a reliable investor?" he asked. He said Hambantota oil refinery was not an oil refinery but a refinery of black money.
Minister Malik Samarawickrame said no allegation against the Indian investor had been proved in court and asked the MP to prove it was so. Deputy Minister Nalin Bandara said the Indian minister was not a blacklisted person and that he was contesting the election in India this year as well.
"He owns several business enterprises in India over US$ 7 billion. Is there an obstacle for such a person to invest in Sri Lanka," he asked? (Ajith Siriwardana and Yohan Perera)