Parliamentarian Chamara Sampath Dasanayake has alleged that the conditions of a tender for printing stickers to be affixed to liquor bottles were amended to benefit an official of the Presidential Secretariat.
Speaking in Parliament, the MP described the matter as serious, given that the tender is worth millions of rupees.
He alleged that the changes had been made to fulfil an individual's narrow interests. He further claimed that the tender included a condition that could benefit companies under investigation by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption.
Questioning what he described as a possible double standard in the enforcement of the law, Dasanayake alleged that while some politicians were being detained or imprisoned, others facing various allegations were allowed to move about freely.
“While MP Namal Rajapaksa, I and several others are being imprisoned, those accused of involvement in large-scale fraud are moving around freely,” he said.
The MP also questioned why no action had reportedly been taken against Minister Kumara Jayakody over allegations relating to the purchase of substandard coal. He also referred to another minister who was alleged to have attempted to obtain a house in the Dehiwala area.
Meanwhile, Dasanayake strongly criticised a decision by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka concerning the repayment of loans obtained by pawning gold jewellery.
He claimed that private banks had been instructed not to allow borrowers to repay these loans in instalments and instead to require repayment of the full amount in a single payment.
“Poor people in this country pawn their gold jewellery to make ends meet. Therefore, this measure is extremely unfair,” the MP added.
