PM again defends CB Governor's appointment, remains evasive on query about nationality

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe today defended the appointment of Arjun Mahendran to the post of Governor of the Central Bank but avoided giving a direct reply to a query raised about the nationality of Mr.Mahendran. “There were several persons in the former regime who were non-nationals including Gothabaya Rajapaksa and Palitha Kohona but no one raised any objection about their appointment. I am glad the cobwebs that were covering their mouths have now been wiped away and MPs are able to raise these issues openly,” he said. The Prime Minister said that there was no legal impediment to a non-national holding the post of Governor and said that Mr.Mahendran was born in Sri Lanka, studied here and worked for ten years at the Central Bank. “He left the country after the Rajapaksa regime came to power like many other intellectuals who had to flee the country. Now we are encouraging them to come back. This is an era where our people are returning to the country instead of fleeing from it,” he said. However to the question raised by UPFA MP Dinesh Gunawardena if Mr.Mahendran is at present a citizen of Sri Lanka and if he is a citizen of another country, the Prime Minister did not provide a direct answer. Chandani Kirinde