Petrol crisis: Arjuna’s allegations on audio and video tapes

Three former ministers in charge of the subject of petroleum — Chandima Weerakkody, Susil Premajayantha and Anura Priyadarshana Yapa — took up cudgels with the current successor Arjuna Ranatunga over the recent countrywide shortage of petrol. It came at Tuesday’s weekly ministerial meeting chaired by President Maithripala Sirisena.

The three ministers, now holding different portfolios, asked Petroleum Minister Ranatunga to name the ministers, whom he alleged, had brought pressure on him to accept allegedly contaminated petrol. Mr Ranatunga was quick to reply that he had not made such remarks.

As volley after volley of questions came his way, President Sirisena intervened. He said that Minister Ranatunga had denied having made such allegations and, therefore, his word should be accepted. He said that the minister in turn should issue a public denial that he made no such statements.
That public denial is yet to come. After all, it was at a news conference that Mr Ranatunga made the remarks about interference by ministers. That is both on audio and video tape.

Even worse was his claim about contaminated petrol reportedly imported by the Lanka India Oil Company (LIOC). The Cabinet Subcommittee chaired by Minister Sarath Amunugama had made no mention of the LIOC or called any of LIOC representatives before the subcommittee. The committee had in fact raised queries over why the stocks which had only sediments could not have been filtered and distributed.

Minister Ranatunga asked President Sirisena at the ministerial meeting to call in the Criminal Investigation Department to probe who was responsible for the petrol shortage. The President replied that he had just got the Subcommittee report and would decide on the matter.

Another measure the President announced was that the Cabinet Subcommittee headed by Minister Sarath Amunugama should continue to monitor the fuel distribution in the country. Other members of the Committee are Anura Priyadarshana Yapa and Patali Champika Ranawaka, both of whom have been in charge of petroleum before Minister Arjuna Ranatunga.

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