Sri Lanka is a key money laundering centre - Mangala

 Thursday, 28 November 2013 

 

UNP Communications Division Head, parliamentarian Mangala Samaraweera says that Sri Lanka has become a key money laundering centre where ill gotten monies and those of the LTTE are being laundered openly.

Making his speech in the budget debate, the UNP MP has noted that in contravention to the communiqué issued following the Commonwealth heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Colombo, the country has become a major centre for money laundering and the whole economy is focussed on laundering ill gotten monies.

“Most of the LTTE monies and gold are laundered in the country,” Samaraweera said.

“We are being labelled LTTEers, but everyone knows who is harbouring LTTEers. LTTE monies and gold are being laundered in broad daylight in the country. LTTE members like Karuna were in Nelum Pokuna attending CHOGM and the current leader of the LTTE, KP participated in the Commonwealth People’s Forum in Hikkaduwa,” he added.

He also pointed out that the government sponsored protest against British Premier David Cameron’s visit to Jaffna was led by LTTEer Daya Master.

“The whole world needs to know who is keeping LTTEers close to them,” the UNP MP charged.

Samaraweera pointed out that LTTE monies laundered and monies earned through commissions from development projects are laundered in the country.

According to him, the growth rate of the country stated by the government is not reflected in the outcome of state institutions.
Samaraweera also said that he has written to Commonwealth Secretary General Kamalesh Sharma accusing him of concealing some information ahead of the Commonwealth summit in Sri Lanka.

In his letter to Sharma Samaraweera had accused the Commonwealth chief of concealing information in the face of objections by some powerful members in the Commonwealth on holding the 2013 summit in Colombo.

The UNP MP said that among the information concealed by Sharma was a report on the impeachment of former Chief Justice Shirani Bandaranayake.

“The commonwealth summit was held in Sri Lanka after concealing all this information,” he said adding that the Commonwealth has lost its integrity.

 Listen the speech below

Part 01

Part 02

Part 03