JO asks CB Chief to clarify Ravi's statement

4 January 2017 04:56 am

The joint opposition has urged Central Bank Governor Indrajith Coomaraswamy to publicly clarify Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake’s recent statement that Rs.13 billion in Rs.5,000 notes had been spirited out of the CB just two days prior to the 2015 presidential election.

In a letter to the Governor the joint opposition said according to the minister the colossal sum had been distributed among the people who were attending the propaganda rallies in support of the Mahinda Rajapaksa Government.

“If Rs.13 billion has been spirited out of the CB and has been in circulation for the past two years, it will be the biggest currency-crime in the history of Sri Lanka. But the minister has not informed the Cabinet, Parliament or the Currency Unit of the CID about his allegation,” the letter signed by JO Leader MP Dinesh Gunawardena and some others stated. (Lahiru Pothmulla)