Business tycoon Dhammika Perera has decided to enter Parliament through the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) National List slot left vacant by former Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa, despite concerns that he would be exposed to conflict of interest allegations and legal challenges, well placed sources told The Morning a short while ago. Ahead of his swearing in before President Gotabaya Rajapaksa today or tomorrow, Perera has resigned from all the Boards of Directors he was in. Perera will be assigned a new portfolio named Minister of Technology and Investment Promotion, which was created through a Gazette Extraordinary issued last night. The institutions under the new ministry are TRC, BOI, Sri Lanka Telecom, Dept of Registration of Persons, Dept of Immigration and Emigration, Port City Economic Commission, Standards Institution, ICTA and Lotus Tower. Perera has been the frontrunner to replace Rajapaksa and it was speculated that he would be assigned an investment promotion portfolio to attract foreign investors and much-needed foreign exchange to Sri Lanka. The prominent businessman had long expressed interest in being involved in national governance and the political think-tank. The chief source of the conflict of interest concerns that nearly led Perera to abandon his Parliament dream was the large number of companies owned by him, both through giant conglomerates such as Hayleys PLC and Vallibel One PLC, as well as the companies in which he is a shareholder. The Morning earlier learnt that his lawyers had advised him that taking up a Ministerial portfolio could expose him to conflict of interest allegations as several companies under him could benefit from policies that he proposes and be local partners to the foreign investors he attracts to Sri Lanka.