Minister Perera admits being powerless in Mahapola Trust Fund

Minister Gamini Jayawickrama Perera yesterday (Sept 17) told investigators that he was powerless despite being a board member at the Mahapola Trust Fund (MTF) where a corruption case is alleged to have occured in 2015.

A complaint has been filed at the Presidential Commission probing state sector corruption alleging that the MTF had faced losses worth Rs 40 billion as a result of signing an agreement to transfer the Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology (SLIIT) to a private business.

The SLIIT had been under the purview of the Fund at that time.

Giving evidence at the Commission, Minister Perera said that former MTF Head K. Sripavan, who is a former Chief Justice, should have pointed out the flaws of the agreement, given his experience in the legal field.

He claimed that Mr. Sripavan had ample opportunities to point out the mistakes, and prevent the agreement from being signed. Minister Perera noted that the agreement, however, had been signed in the presence of Mr. Sripavan.

The MTF which disburses allowance for students pursuing higher education at state universities falls under the Ministry of Higher Education. Former Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe had filed a complaint in this regard.