“Govt. yet to prove any allegations against me” - Mahinda Rajapaksa

Colombo, May 13 (Daily Mirror) - Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa who was questioned by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) yesterday said the government was yet to prove any of their allegations against him and blamed the NPP for resorting to political witch hunts.

Rajapaksa told the Daily Mirror last evening that despite various allegations hurled against him, the government had not been able to prove anything and called instead on investigators to probe the affidavit given by Kapila Chandrasena against the alleged threats and intimidation by CIABOC officers.

“I am prepared to face any investigation and if there is a fair investigation I will be cleared off all allegations. This government has resorted to political revenge and after endless accusations, they are yet to prove any of their allegations,” Rajapaksa said.

“I call on the investigators to probe the affidavit to the court given by Kapila Chandrasena and the threats and intimidation he was subjected to by CIABOC officials. This is political intimidation under the government and they will not be able to continue doing this for long as the public will realize the truth,” he added.

The former President further said that at a time when state funds are being robbed by questionable forces and the economy is in shambles, the government was resorting to their political witch hunt to cover up their failures and wrongdoings instead of answering the people.

The Bribery Commission summoned both Rajapaksa and former Minister Piyankara Jayaratne yesterday to record statements regarding the allegations surrounding the purchase of 14 Airbus aircraft for the national carrier, a transaction that reportedly caused significant financial losses to the state.

The summons followed revelations made by the late former SriLankan Airlines CEO Kapila Chandrasena, who had been identified as the main suspect in the bribery investigation. According to submissions made recently before the Colombo Chief Magistrate’s Court, prosecutors stated that Chandrasena had admitted to facilitating payments totalling Rs. 60 million to the former President during his time in office. The payments were allegedly linked to a wider US$2 million kickback scheme connected to the Airbus transaction.