No action on bond scam, Easter attacks at end of President’s first year in office: SJB

The Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) today said President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has failed ensure action against the perpetrators of the Central Bank bond scam and the Easter Sunday attacks though it has been a year since he assumed office. Speaking at a news briefing, SJB MP Patali Champika Ranawaka said President Rajapaksa assured during the election campaign that former CB Governor Arjuna Mahendran will be brought to Sri Lanka from Singapore similar to how Kumaran Pathmanathan was brought down. “The Yahapalana Government took considerable action than this government over the bond scam. We arrested the suspects and recovered most of the funds. We thank former President Maithripala Sirisena for his efforts in this regard. At the end of one year in office, President Rajapaksa has failed to take any such action. We would like to ask whether the COVID-19 pandemic made an impact on extraditing Mahendran,” he said. Commenting on the investigations on the Easter Sunday attacks, MP Ranawaka said the investigations are more focused on finding faults of former officials including the IGP and the defence secretary than uncovering the masterminds behind the attacks.