Media release by former Central Bank Governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal on 25th July 2022: Private Plaint filed by Keerthi Tennekoon against former Governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal in the Colombo Magistrate’s Court was not taken up today due to the restrictions in the number of cases being taken up as a result of the country conditions.
At the same time, the overseas travel ban on Governor Cabraal was not contested by his lawyers, who confirmed that the former Governor has no intention of leaving the country and will resist all charges made by the complainant in Court.
The fuel distribution initiative under the National Fuel Pass QR Code system will not be implemented as planned across the island today, revealed the Energy Ministry in a statement.
The Ministry added that however, only a few selected fuel stations will be distributing fuel under the system.
Meanwhile, the Information and Communication Technology Agency (ICTA) in a statement said that the programme is still being implemented despite the difficulties, adding that the initiative will undergo as a pilot project at several fuel stations.
The overseas travel ban imposed to former Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) Ajith Nivard Cabraal has been extended till October 26, as ordered by the Colombo Magistrate Court today (25).
The order was issued by Colombo Additional Magistrate Harshana Kekunawala as a complaint filed by former Governor Rajith Keerthi Thennakoon was taken up today.
Cabraal is accused of paying US $6.5 million to a representative of Zubheri, a US citizen, without the approval of the Cabinet or the Monetary Board of the CBSL during his tenure as the CBSL Chief from 2006 to 2015, causing a loss of US $500 million to Sri Lanka through the sovereign bonds due on maturity on January 18, as the Governor in 2022, and causing a loss of Rs. 10.04 billion via treasury bills and bond issues by appointing his close relatives to positions and leaking confidential information during his tenure as the Governor.
Closing Sri Lanka’s Oil Refinery which can be adapted into a profit making body from 16 per cent to 24 per cent and selling the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CEYPETCO) have become a government policy and such a move can be defined as an act of treason, said Leader of the Opposition Sajith Premadasa, speaking to members of the trade unions responding to the state-run fuel regulator two days ago (23).
The Oil Refinery and the CEYPETCO are national resources of the country and therefore, should be protected, the Opposition Leader emphasised, reminding that Rs. 90 billion due to be paid to the CEYPETCO has not been paid and the state-run fuel regulator’s revenue has been taken by the Treasury whilst a loss of Rs. 600 billion has incurred due to the non-payment of subsidies given under various regimes. In the backdrop, it would be wrong to say that the CEYPETCO is incurring losses, he added.
The government has lost millions of rupees due to the importation of fuel without procurement and the national resources are being sold for loot whilst those collecting commissions and stealing dollars and powerful families have become agents of the fuel mafia, Premadasa alleged. The Opposition Leader promised that the fuel mafia will be eliminated under a Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) government.
He urged the public not to be deceived by statements made on the basis of false information that the CEYPETCO should be closed, adding that had the state-run fuel regulator been a loss-incurring body, it should be profited through a joint venture that would generate profit without closing it. Accordingly, national resources must not be sold, Premadasa added.
Three persons accused of attempted selling of 40 brass balls painted in gold colour stolen from the window curtains of the President’s House were arrested by the Police yesterday (24).
The suspects, 28, 34 and 37, are residents of Rajagiriya – Obeysekarapura and were arrested in Welikada, the Police revealed, adding that the alleged theft was committed on July 09 as the protesters breached the President’s House.
The suspects were referred to the Colombo North Division Crimes Investigation Unit in charge of probes in connection with the President’s House for further investigations.
The Presidential Secretariat of Sri Lanka will resume its operations from today (25), following a three month-standstill subjugated to anti-government protesters.
The Presidential Secretariat was acquired by the protesters in a historic move on July 09 leading to the fleeing of ex President Rajapaksa and was handed over to the authorities on July 22.
President Ranil Wickremasighe has expressed his unofficial concern to several heads of foreign missions in Sri Lanka over their twitter and other messages issued in a haste of Sri Lnkan army and the police action to evacuate illegal occupants forcibly taken over the presidential secretariat in Colombo.
The president briefed the actual facts behind the police and army operation to free the office of the president located at Sri Lanka’s old parliamentary building, one of the country’s heritage buildings, from unlawful occupants who were disrupting official functions of the head of state.
He informed them that the protestors had been informed by the police to vacate the area by 6 am on Thursday 21 but the protestors had refused and instead provided an alternative time which was not accepted by the authorities.
President noted that protestors continued to occupy the area despite a court order and they continued to occupy the Presidential Secretariat illegally.
At the meeting with heads of foreign missions and representatives of US ,EU, Canada, France,UK,Japan and Australia, President Ranil Wickremasighe has asked them as to whether their authorities would allow strugglers to forcibly occupy such nerve centers in their countries.
He mada clarian request from foreign diplomats not to issue twitter messages or statements condemning the state based on social media reports without verifying actual facts from relevant government authorities.
This was the first time in the history of the island nation that foreign diplomats in Sri Lanka have issued statements condemning the government without even considering the damage caused to country’s valuable assets, heritage buildings disrupting the normal functions of the president and the prime minister, several foreign affairs analysts claimed.
They noted that these foreign diplomats should visit these historic buildings vandalized by illegal occupants and several persons among hundreds of thousands of visitors to those places during the last few days to get a glimpse of damages caused to public property.
They added that before issuing statements,they should have at least study the photographs published in newspapers and prominent local news websites and international press to get some understanding about the difference between peaceful demonstrators and unlawful occupants and strugglers who invaded the country’s heritage buildings.
Several local foreign affairs officials asked for an explanation as to what action that the US administration would take if a group of protestors took over the white house and continued to occupy it.
At the meeting US Ambassador US Ambassador Julie Chung expressed her deep concern on brutal violence used by the army and the police against protesters.
Replying to this allegation, the President reminded the US Ambassador of similar action taken by security divisions to free the American Capitol building from protesters in accordance with US law.
In a lighter vein the President noted that he was dismayed on the attitude of the Ambassador and other foreign diplomats for not issuing any statement condemning the looting and setting fire to his personal residence, the ancestral house when he was holding the post of Acting President of Sri Lanka .
Intervening at this instance the Canadian Ambassador noted that they have taken into consideration not only the facts highlighted by social media but also the view of other persons including statements issued by the Bar Association President Saliya Peiris .
In reply the President told him that he and Foreign Minister Ali Sabri were also members of BASL and if he wants he could have been easily checked with him before issuing a statement against the country
Moderate Sri Lankan experts of foreign relations were of the view that these heads of missions should inform the public as to whether these statements of condemnation were issued on behalf of their respective countries or their personal views.
Other wise people of this country will take it for granted that all those countries are supporting the protesters and the new administration would find it difficult to restore law and order as well as peace and stability in the country they pointed out.
They commended the wait and see attitude of Asian, African and Middle Eastern country diplomats in Sri Lanka specially heof missions of India , China Pakistan and Bangladesh his sensitive issue relating to the present social turmoil in the country
The Ceylon Petroleum Corporation has decided to dispense limited volumes of fuel from Ceypetco filling stations to vehicles starting from today July 25, based on the last digit of the vehicle number plate and QR code system, Ceypetco sources said.
Fuel pumping at 1236 Ceylon Petroleum Corporation fuel filling stations countrywide will begin today using the new system a high ranking CPC official said.
Over 1 million motorists have already registered with the new system which will take several days for the proper operation of the system in a streamlined manner , he revealed.
According to the Ministry of Energy, Ceypetco filling stations will only pump fuel worth Rs. 1,500 for motorcycles at a single time.
For three-wheelers, the limit has been set at Rs. 2,000 worth of fuel. The maximum amount of fuel allowed to be dispensed to other vehicles stands at Rs. 7,000.
At present the Ceylon Petrolium Corportraion Terminal Limited(CPSTL) is distributing 3000MT of petrol and4000 MT of diselt to furl filling stations countrywide.
CPC has no money to import fuel from next month and the treasury or the Central Bank cannot pump money due to dollar shortage.
Therefore only a limited supply to prol sheds will be continuing making the numbering system and QR code ineffective in controlling large numbers of motorists in queues for fuel , CPC official sources said.
Sri Lanka will receive one more fuel consignment this month and another in August, the Chairman of Lanka IOC Manoj Gupta , said adding that it will provide much-needed relief to the people facing an unprecedented economic crisis and acute fuel shortages.
Two consignments of fuel (petrol and diesel) have already arrived on July 13 or 14, and another shipment will arrive sometime between July 28 to 30. Each vessel will be carrying 30,000 metric tonnes of fuel, he revealed.
Another consignment is also scheduled to arrive on August 10, Gupta said adding that these shipments will be arriving from Singapore and the UAE.
Last week, Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) informed the Sri Lankan government that there will be an indefinite delay in the arrival of fuel shipments due to banking and logistical reasons, with existing stocks being prioritized for public transport, power generation and industries.
Meanwhile the power supply in the country is also in critical condition. Kelanitiss combined cycle power plant has closed down since Friday and other thermalwerplants will have to shut down due to lack of diesel ,naptha and furnace oil.
Under this set up 40 percent of the country’s power demand is being met by hydropower plants 34 percent by Norochcholai coal power plant and the balance by renewable energy sources, Ceylon Electricity Board spokesman Andrew Navamini disclosed.
The stage is set to present the interim budget 2022 of the present administration headed by President Ranil Wickremasinghe in parliament next month as the initial step of resetting the governing system, Finance Ministry sources confirmed.
An Amendment Bill to the Appropriation Act 2022 has now been devised and the Legal Draftsman is now drafting this relevant bill using the inputs of the Ministry of Finance.
Under the previous Appropriation Act for 2022, the total expenditure estimated for 2022 was around Rs. 4 trillion, a slight drop of around Rs. 30 billion from the approved allocations for 2021
The estimated expenditure in the Interim budget for the last four months will be Rs 1. 21 trillion The Government does not have sufficient inflows to the Treasury to pay even the salaries of the bloated public service, according to the Prime Minister and Minister of Finance.
He, therefore, wants the Central Bank to lend him Rs. 1 trillion over the next six-month period. Already the Central Bank has accommodated the Government’s funding requirements up to Rs. 2.2 trillion.
Though this is a huge expansion of the reserve money base, the Central Bank has been saved on the domestic side by the outflow of funds from the country due to its having a net negative position in foreign reserves.
As such, the reserve money base has increased marginally from Rs. 932 billion at end-2019 to Rs. 1,454 billion as at the first week of July 2022.and the revenue Rs 634 billion, provisional data shows.
Economic Stabilisation Committee Head and former Treasury Secretary Dr. R.H.S. Samaratunga said the pre-2019 tax structure would be re-introduced with the aim of increasing government revenue.
The Interim budget basically aimed at providing relief for the low income families and vulnerable community will lay the foundation for the country’s economy, allowing it to stabilise and recover within a short period.
It will allocate considerable financial facilities for essential public services and relief for the poorest of the poor establishing asocial security net for their survival.
The pension payment of retirees will be increased to Rs. 255 billion or Rs 270 billion from Rs 210 billion while increasing Samurdhi relief to around Rs 350 billion from Rs100 billion at present under interim budget proposal of the President, senior Finance Ministry official said
It has also proposed to allocate Rs. 200 billion as incentives to low- income families as well as the Small and Medium sector.
Agricultural loans to farmers who have land below two hectares will be written off he said adding that the ownership of state urban housing units will be given to occupants who are now residing in these housing units on monthly rent.
TATA Memorial Hospital (TMH) in Mumbai donated urgently required cancer medicines worth of LKR 20 Million to Sri Lanka on 15th July 2022. The donation contains temperature controlled cancer treatment medicines required by Apeksha Cancer Hospital in Maharagama to treat cancer patients awaiting urgent lifesaving medicines. Consulate General of Sri Lanka in Mumbai coordinated with the donor and the relevant Sri Lankan& Indian authorities to facilitate the necessary approvals and clearances to airlift the medical consignment to Sri Lanka on 16th July 2022.
The handing over ceremony was attended by following officials from TATA memorial hospital who organized the donation; Director/ TMH Dr. C.S. Pramesh, , Professor & Head of Division of Pediatric Oncology/ TMH Prof. Dr. Girish Chinnaswamy, Assistant Medical Superintendent /TMH Dr. Vinit Samant, Assistant Professor, Medical Oncology/TMH Dr. Venkata Rama Mohan Gollamudi, General Manager (CSR)/ TMH Sunita Rao, Pharmacist/ TMH Vonod Nair Consul General of Sri Lanka in Mumbai Dr. Valsan Vethody and Consul (Commercial) Sandun Sameera attended the handing over ceremony to accept the donation. While appreciating the invaluable donation made by the TMH at this hour of need for Sri Lanka, Consul General requested further collaboration between TATA Memorial Center and cancer treatment institutes in Sri Lanka to exchange cancer treatment know-how and expertise to uplift the cancer treatments.
Tata Memorial Hospital is amongst the oldest and largest cancer centers in the world, with over 75 years of exceptional patient care, high-quality training and innovative cancer research and is at the forefront of national and global cancer control efforts. It is the national comprehensive cancer center for the prevention, treatment and research on cancer in India
Tata Memorial Centre is a world leader in basic, translational, epidemiologic and clinical cancer research. Research at TMC includes studies to understand cancer biology, large community based screening trials for common cancers and cohort studies, neo adjuvant and adjuvant treatment, perioperative interventions, surgical trials, repurposing drugs and qualitative research to understand the patient journey. In addition, training and education also form a major focus area for TMC which remains the most sought after institution for oncology training in India
