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Thursday Sep 19, 2024
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By Chandani Kirinde
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| CEB’s former Chairman M.M.C. Ferdinando addresses the COPE meeting
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Former Chairman of the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) M.M.C. Ferdinando yesterday apologised to the Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) and withdrew the comments he made in reference to the Adani group of India when he appeared before the Committee on 10 June.
Ferdinando who made the controversial remark had to resign from his post as CEB Chairman after the uproar caused by his comment that President Gotabaya Rajapaksa had told him that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had wanted the Mannar and Pooneryn Wind power and Solar power project with Adani Green Energy.
During yesterday‘s Committee meeting, Ferdinando had to admit that the letter he sent to the Committee Chairman Charitha Herath dated 11.5.2022 saying his remarks were made after he was put under pressure by committee members was wrong.
In the letter which was released to the media yesterday, Ferdinando had said that he had become emotional due to pressure and unreasonable allegation levelled against him when questioned on the official letter of request dated 25.11.2021 titled “Proposal for Transformational Investments in Renewable Energy Sector in Sri Lanka: - Investment proposal of M/s Adani Green Energy Limited” which he sent to the former Secretary to the Treasury S.R. Atygalle.
Ferdinando said due to unexpected pressure and emotions, he had uttered the words “Indianu agamathi balakara bawa kiwa” (Was told that Indian Prime Minister was forcing) but that remark is ‘totally incorrect’. “I wish to withdraw the relevant statement as it was a genuine mistake and was never intended to cause any embarrassment to this Committee or any party,” he said in a letter addressed to COPE.
Ferdinando was asked what he had written directly to the Secretary to the Treasury when such letters should go through the Secretary to the Ministry of Power and Energy. He replied it was done as part of his official duties.
Committee members also noted that the letter he sent to Atygalle was copied to then Minister of Power Gamini Lokuge, former State Minister of Solar, Wind and Hydro Power Development Duminda Dissanayake, Namal Rajapaksa (then Minister of Sports, Youth and Technology), Secretary to the Prime Minister, Secretary to the Minister of Power and the BOI Chairman but the letter was not copied to the Secretary to the President.
Ferdinando said that this was not done deliberately but was an omission.
According to the letter sent by Ferdinando to Attygalle last November, after a joint inspection carried out by the General Manager of the CEB along with representatives of the Adani group to see the ground situation in Mannar and satisfy the potentiality of the investor, a meeting was held with them Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa at Temple Trees.
Here Ferdinando had been told by the Prime Minister to recognise the proposal of M/s Adani Green Energy as a proposal from the Indian Government to the Government of Sri Lanka, as both heads of countries are in agreement that this investment will help with the present-day crisis.
This had been followed up with a meeting with the President where he too had directed to facilitate the Adani Green Energy 500 MW project as he (Adani) had already agreed to invest a substantial amount of FDI in Sri Lanka.
“Therefore on the above basis, it is logical to assume that this is an investment proposal on the basis of G-G (Government to Government) and can be processed as an investment channelled through the BOI as required under Cabinet Appointed Management Committee on investment process , pursuant to a Cabinet decision dated 15.2.2021 .This position was explained by me to the Chairman/BOI at the recently held discussion through zoom virtual meeting and the Chairman/BOI confirmed this is an investment within the purview of the BOI Act,” Ferdinando said in the letter to Attygalle . This letter too was tabled before the Committee.
After a lengthy discussion by Committee members, it was decided to delete the remark made by Ferdinando but continue with the ongoing investigation into CEB projects.
