SL President orders probe into alleged fraud in Treasury bonds

Sri Lanka President Maithripala Sirisena on Monday appointed a 3-member committee to probe allegations of wrongdoing in the issue of Treasury bonds at the Central Bank, an issue that was exposed in the Sunday Times yesterday (March 8).

This came a day after Central Bank Governor Arjuna Mahendran, whose son-in-law allegedly figured in the deal, told the Sunday Times that an independent lawyer had been appointed to probe the matter.

A statement from the President’s Office said that the President’s “attention has been drawn to media reports about alleged malpractice in the recent issue of Treasury Bills (bonds) by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka has decided to appoint a 3-member Committee to probe this matter”.

The names of the members were not disclosed. It said that President Sirisena has instructed the Secretary to the President to take immediate action to appoint this Committee to ascertain the facts and report on this matter.

“In the event of it being established that any malpractice has taken place, the President will take strong action against any persons or officials associated with this, irrespective of their status,” the statement said. - ENDS