More and more files on questionable deals missing at Finance Ministry
Sri Lanka’s Finance Ministry faces an uphill task of unearthing details on questionable deals as some of the files containing vital documents have gone missing, Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake has revealed.
He told a media conference in Colombo on Thursday that he came to know recently that around 2,600 important files had disappeared from the ministry making it difficult to investigate alleged financial misappropriation, corrupt practices, misuse of public property and funds of top level officials during the Rajapaksa regime.
He said that they have found that around 2,100 were missing earlier and another 500 were not traceable at present.
According to Mr. Karunanayake, the missing files include some that contain information on alleged shady and questionable deals
This matter will be investigated by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to find those who were behind the removal of important files from the ministry following a complaint lodged by the minister.
The Business Times has been informed by reliable official sources that these files were under the custody of several top officials of the Finance Ministry including former Treasury Secretary P.B. Jayasundera and Director General Legal Affairs of the Ministry Ms. H.M.N.S. Gunawardana.
Dr. Jayasundera was seen at the Ministry by several officials a couple of days before and after the Presidential election and after that he has not visited the ministry, the sources disclosed. Answering a question raised by a journalist, Minister Karunanayake noted that he has raised the issue of kick backs and involvement of former Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Nalaka Godahewa in the Krrish mixed development deal when he was in the opposition, but he added that he cannot say as to whether the file containing details of that deal and the investigation report was missing or not.
A senior official told the Business Times that the officials responsible for these files are known and they will have to now reveal to the CID what happened to the files. These officials will likely be questioned by the CID soon, on these missing files.