Cabinet spokesman Keheliya Rambukwella today declined to comment on the alleged involvement of Prime Minister D.M. Jayaratne in the heroin container controversy and claimed there was the possibility of some of the bigger fish getting away.

“The heroin container was in Colombo for transshipment. The coordinating secretary has asked that only two months’ tax be waived. Therefore, my impression is that there may be bigger fish that got away unnoticed. The brains behind this racket have not been arrested,” he told journalists at the weekly Cabinet news briefing.

The minister admitted that the notorious heroin container-fiasco allegedly involving Prime Minister D.M. Jayaratne’s coordinating secretary had caused ‘huge and serious’ damage to the government’s credibility locally and internationally.

He said the matter was under investigations and the law would take its course and if there was a prima facie case then the suspects would be prosecuted.
When asked by journalists as to why the Prime Minister had not resigned and his coordinating secretary not arrested, the minister said he could not make any comments other than to say that a formal investigation is underway.  

“This is the worst case scenario faced by the government and the country. What I can tell you is that an investigation has been launched,’ he added. (Sandun A. Jayasekera) (Pix by Waruna Wanniarachchi)