Opposition MP alleges Govt. Minister evaded stamp duty on property deal

By Yohan Perera and Ajith Siriwardana

An Opposition MP yesterday accused a government minister of purchasing two properties in Anuradhapura without paying the required stamp duty.

Raising the issue in Parliament, MP Chamara Sampath Dassanayake alleged that the Minister had undervalued one of the properties to evade stamp duty. “A house worth Rs. 10 million was reportedly purchased for just Rs. 5 million,” he claimed. The MP urged the Inland Revenue Commissioner of the North Central Province to ensure that the appropriate stamp duty is recovered from the Minister in question.

MP Dassanayake also took aim at the Chairman of the National Lotteries Board, who he said had publicly challenged him. “The Chairman responded to my previous remarks in Parliament and dared me to speak outside the House. But this Parliamentary complex was built by the late President J. R. Jayewardene for us to speak freely within it. Why should we speak outside?” he asked.

The MP further alleged that the Lotteries Board Chairman had allowed his children to live on a property owned by the institution. “Meanwhile, four MPs from the NPP are forced to share a single house in the MPs’ quarters at Madiwela,” he added.

Turning to broader concerns, Dassanayake warned that fear of scrutiny by the Bribery Commission and the CID was paralysing the state sector. “Doctors are increasingly reluctant to issue medical prescriptions, and public servants are afraid to sign documents. If this continues, both the Bribery Commission and the CID will be responsible for the collapse of public administration,” he said.