Call to PM to investgate alleged bribe to LTTE

Ranil Wickremesinghe had lost at least 300,000 votes from the Northern and the Eastern Provinces due the LTTE’S influence

Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake and several UNP MPS have asked Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe to conduct an immediate investigation into the alleged offering of money to the LTTE during the 2005 Presidential Election campaign to change the election result.

In this election Mahinda Rajapaksa and Ranil Wickremesinghe contested as the two main candidates, and Mahinda Rajapaksa won with a majority of only one hundred and ninety six thousand votes.

Mr. Karunanayake and the other UNP MPS said Ranil Wickremesinghe had lost at least 300,000 votes from the Northern and the Eastern Provinces due the LTTE’S influence, and this had directly affected the final result of the presidential election. The minister had told Mr. Wickremesinghe that, according to the information available, Rs.7.84 billion had been given to the LTTE.

Discussions had also been held between the late parliamentarian Sripathi Suriyarachchi, an LTTE international leader Emil Kanthan and former minister Basil Rajapaksa in this regard, according to Mr. Karunanayake.

The Prime Minister had expressed his readiness to conduct an investigation, according to sources at the PM’S office.