Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera claimed that the country is being forced to pay a higher interest rate for International Sovereign Bond (ISB) issues as the country's credit rating was downgraded by all three international credit rating agencies during the 52-Day "Constitutional Coup."
By Sandun Jayawardana
The Minister made the remarks during his speech concluding the debate on the Budget's Second Reading this evening.
Finance Minister Samaraweera said there was some truth in what the JVP Leader and other members of the Opposition had said about the ISBs and that the downgrading of the country's credit rating was to blame.
Nevertheless, the Government was working towards stabilizing the situation and some of the damage has now been rectified, he told Parliament.
All Ceylon Makkal Congress MP Ali Sabri Raheem had been arrested by Kalpitiya police after he surrendered to the police today morning.
Senior DIG Nilantha Jayawardena has been sent on compulsory leave pending disciplinary investigation over his failure to prevent the Easter Sunday bombings.
An interim order prohibiting Deshabandu Tennakoon from carrying out his duties as Inspector General of Police (IGP) has been issued by the Supreme Court.
The 22nd amendment to the constitution dealing with the term of the President has been gazetted by order of President Ranil Wickremesinghe.
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