Not bothered about rival candidates: Sajith

The UNP led alliance’s presidential hopeful Sajith Premadasa yesterday said his rival candidate SLPP presidential hopeful Gotabaya Rajapaksa was not a concern for him.

Testifying at the Commission last week he said that the Ministry had no intention to move from the ‘Govijana Mandiraya.’“the decision to relocate the Ministry was taken in 2016 because of the constant pressure from Parliament,” he said.

It was revealed to the Commission that the Prime Minister has appointed a committee headed by his Secretary, Saman Ekanayake to check a place to relocate the Agriculture Ministry and three private owned buildings were found temporarily, until completion of the third stage of Sethsiripaya.

However, when questioned, the former Secretary informed the Commission he was not aware about such a committee appointed by the Prime Minister.

Witness said that Mr. Ekanayake had called and informed him that they had found DPJ towers to relocate the Ministry and he had visited the building with the former Minister. “There were a number of issues in this building and we realized that a large sum of money will have to be spent to setup the ministry,” he said.

When the Commissioners questioned the witness as to why he had failed to send the final draft of the lease agreement to the AG’S Department, he said that the AG had made five observations to the first draft of the agreement and there was no need to send this agreement to the AG.

It was revealed to the Commission that the Ministry had failed to obtain the AG’S approval to the lease agreement. Denying this statement, former Minister Duminda Dissanayake informed the Commission that the former Secretary had verbally informed him about the AG’S approval for the lease agreement.

It was also revealed to the Commission that there was no termination clause in the lease agreement and the total value of the agreement was over Rs. 1.3 billion. The Agriculture Ministry had paid Rs. 21 million plus VAT and Nation Building Tax per month, during the period April 08, 2016 and April 07, 2019.

From April 08.2019 to April 07, 2021 the Ministry was supposed to pay Rs. 24.1 million plus VAT and Nation Building Tax, monthly.