Joint opposition lodge complaint on US $ 11 million diesel purchase scam

Colombo, April 28 (Daily Mirror) - The Joint opposition yesterday lodged a complaint with the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) on an alleged US $ 11 million scam in connection with the procurement of diesel through an unsolicited tender.

“An unsolicited tender has been awarded to Trafigura Pte Ltd in March this year, where the company has agreed to supply 248,000 barrels at a premium of $ 45 per barrel. Meanwhile, another company has offered to supply oil at a premium of $ 38 per barrel, the written complaint signed by former Ministers Professor G. L. Peiris, Patali Champika Ranawaka, Mahinda Amaraweera, Lasantha Alagiyawanna and others, including Sugeeshwara Bandara, and United National Party (UNP) General Secretary Thalatha Athukorala.

The joint opposition requested CIABOC to probe whether the relevant institution has failed to maintain adequate stocks of diesel, whether there has been any negligence on the part of the Minister in charge of Energy and the Chairman of Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC), to confirm whether there has been corruption with regard to the diesel purchase deal, whether the CPC has taken steps to recover the losses incurred by the procurement from the relevant sources and whether steps have been taken to black list Trafigura Pte Ltd.

The opposition also urged CIABOC to determine the rationale behind the awarding of the tender to the said company, reason behind the rejection of the offer made by the other company to supply at a cheaper premium, to determine whether there has been any scam and to file legal action against those who are responsible.

Also, it was revealed that Trafigura Pte Ltd has been given a tender during a previous occasion as well and the company had failed to honour the contract. Accordingly the company has supplied only two out of the five shipments it had promised to supply. It has blamed the war situation in the Middle East for the failure. Furthermore, the joint opposition said purchase of extra stocks of diesel to meet the electricity demand because of inferior quality coal which in turn has made the generation of coal power at Lakvijaya Plant to drop.

The complaint was handed over on behalf of the opposition party leaders by former MP Premnath Dolawatte, Sugeeshwara Bandara, former MP Ajith Mannapperuma and former SLPP MP Sudath Manjula yesterday.