ACF demands Presidential Commission to investigate CB bond scam

The Anti-Corruption Front (ACF) has written to President Maithripala Sirisena on Thursday calling for a Presidential Commission of Inquiry to be established to probe alleged Treasury bond issues.

The ACF noted that this was in order to have transparency on issuing of Treasury bonds by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) and with the view of preventing corruption. 

The ACF has on several occasions brought the matter of issuing Treasury bonds by the CBSL to the attention of the relevant parties. 

It said observations made by the ACF with regard to Treasury bond issues made on 27 February 2015 and 1 April this year had given rise to many grave suspicions.

Issuing a press release the ACF claimed it was most unfortunate that the CBSL had hitherto been unable to convince the public regarding the transparency of the aforementioned two bond issues. 

It further said the first issue had by now been almost completely forgotten and while the ACF wrote a letter to the CBSL querying about the bond issue in April this year, with a copy of the letter also sent to the President, the ACF had yet to receive a reply.

The ACF has requested the President to appoint a suitably qualified Presidential Commission of Inquiry or as wished by the President any other suitable inquiry mechanism to look into Treasury bond issues made since the ‘good governance’ Government came into power in January 2015.