Carry out forensic audit and end Bond issue

It is high time that a forensic audit was conducted to determine the exact losses to the Government from the bond scam and recover that amount from those responsible for it, a UNP backbench MP said yesterday.

UNP MP Thushara Indunil Amarasena told a media briefing that it was time a forensic audit is conducted to determine the exact amount which the Government had lost. “Losses from the bond issue seemed to differ from time to time. Therefore it is essential to carry out a forensic audit to determine the exact losses,” he said.

“A sum of Rs. 12 billion belonging to Perpetual Treasuries Ltd’s bank accounts have been frozen already. If a forensic audit reveals that Rs 12 billion is the real loss, there would not be an issue. If the losses are higher, the remaining amount should be recovered from those who are responsible,” MP Amarasena said.

MP Amarasena said it would not be possible for the Prime Minister to bring former Central Bank Governor Arjuna Mahendran when he returns from his current tour to Singapore, as he is not aware where the latter was residing. The MP who referred to the New York Times story, which had alleged that former President had obtained money from the Chinese company, said President Sirisena should show the same enthusiasm, which he showed to the bond issue.

MP Amarasena also referred to the issue pertaining to the controversial statement made by State Minister Vijayakala Maheswaran, who called for the resurgence of LTTE and alleged that Ms Maheswaran had got into a deal with an Opposition party to crossover.