JO fires second allegation against Samarawickrama

By Chamodi Gunawardana

The Joint Opposition (JO) yesterday lodged its second complaint in the Bribery Commission against Development Strategies and International Trade Minister Malik Samarawickrama, claiming that he is causing a loss of Rs. 330 billion to Sri Lanka Port Authority (SLPA) via the Hambantota port deal.

Joint Opposition MP Mahindananda Aluthgamage alleged that Samarawickrama has interfered with the negotiations in the Hambantota Public Private Partnership while the line minister, Ports and Shipping Minister Arjuna Ranatunga has been highlighting the negative impacts of the deal.

“SLPA has informed Ranatunga in writing that the authority will incur a loss of Rs. 330 billion if the Government leases the Hambantota Port to China Merchant Port Holding Company Ltd. for 99 years. Ranatunga has informed it to the Cabinet, but Samarawickrama and some others involved has run the Frame Work Agreement with the Chinese Company by disregarding the opinions given by the SLPA and Ranatunga,” he claimed.

Aluthgamage also charged that Samarawickrama signed the Frame Work Agreement with China to lease Hambantota Port without following the correct path of calling tenders to select an investor.

“Samarawickrama had not taken the Cabinet approval and he has misled the Parliament and the general public. At least he had not done proper valuation to the assets of the Hambantota Port before leasing it to a foreign company,” he claimed.

JO MP Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena has mentioned in the charge sheet that Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s Senior Advisor R. Paskaralingam, Development Strategies and International Trade Ministry Secretary L. P. Jayampathi and Director General Mangala P. B. Yapa have been involved into the deal with Samarawickrama.

Abeywardena has demanded that the above persons should be summoned to the Bribery Commission for questioning and that the Commission should conduct an unbiased investigation about the allegation.

Last November, the Joint Opposition lodged the first complaint against Samarawickrama alleging fraud in the Mahapola Trust Fund which they claim cost the State a loss of Rs. 1 billion. This iss the second charge against Samarawickrama.