By Shamindra Ferdinando in The Island, Nov 13, 2023
Top SJB spokesman Mujibur Rahman yesterday (12) alleged that a section of the Wickremesinghe-Rajapaksa government seemed to be raising funds for the presidential election scheduled for next year.The former SJB MP said that a well-organised operation was underway to raise funds at the expense of the country.
Rahman told The Island that the recent increase in the Special Commodity Levy (SCL) imposed on imported white sugar had been raised from 25 cents to Rs 50 a kilo immediately after the clearing of 8,500 metric tonnes of sugar from the Colombo Port indicated that the government was busy raising campaign funds.
However, Saman Ratnapriya, President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s Director General of Trade Unions last week claimed that only 520 metric tonnes had been imported immediately before the government effected an increase of SCL from 25 cents to Rs 50.
Rahman said that such a fraud couldn’t have been carried out without the blessings of the powers that be. Rahman compared the loss of Rs 1.6 bn revenue as a result of the mega sugar tax scam perpetrated in late 2020 by the Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s government.
Responding to another query, Rahman stressed that the government seemed to have simply ignored the IMF’s recent advice regarding the urgent need to enhance public sector revenue. “They have quite conveniently forgotten the suspension of the IMF’s USD 2.9 bn bailout package pending tangible actions on its demands,” Rahman said, urging relevant parliamentary watchdog committees to inquire into the latest sugar scam.
In terms of the agreement reached with the IMF in March this year, Sri Lanka was to receive funds in eight equal tranches, Rahman said.The former MP pointed out the responsibility on the part of the parliament to ensure action was taken on sugar scams perpetrated in 2020 and this year as the culprits could be the same.
The one-time parliamentarian said that regardless of assurances given by the government, the Finance Ministry was yet to recover the losses suffered as a result of the 2020 fraud.
Rahman urged professionals to take up this issue as the government burdened the public with additional taxes whereas the unscrupulous elements made massive profits overnight.
“We expect the IMF and other lending agencies as well as major bilateral lenders to take up the contentious issue of corruption with this government,” Rahman said, pointing out the government revised the SCL just two weeks ahead of the presenting of 2024 budget.
Rahman said that the Cabinet-of-Ministers owed an explanation regarding the sugar tax scam as one of them namely Labour and Foreign Employment Minister Manusha Nanayakkara is on record as having alleged the powers that be alerted the sugar importers of the impending revision. The relevant parliamentary watchdog committee could ask Minister Nanayakkara to justify his declaration, Rahman said, requesting the Election Commission to take note of their concerns.
“What is the point of enacting laws to control campaign funds when the government in power raises money for elections at the expense of the national economy,” Rahman said.
The ex-MP said that the government suffered a loss of Rs 422 mn due the latest scam. Alleging that a former minister, too, had been involved in the current episode, Rahman said that the Yahapalana government collapsed as a result of corruption at the highest level.
Rahman said that successive governments had ignored the Auditor Generals’ reports which shed light on public sector corruption. Had there been laid down procedures to deal with disclosures made by the AG, the country wouldn’t have been in the current financial mess.
https://island.lk/sjb-alleges-section-of-govt-raising-funds-for-next-presidential-election/
