By Cyril Wimalasurendre
KANDY: Central Bank Chief Arjuna Mahendran had been cleared of his allegations by the Supreme Court, but Opposition kept on accusing him of a fraud, Plantation Industries Minister Lakshman Kiriella told a news conference on Thursday (20).
Three persons filed action in the Supreme Court but they could not prove the charges against the Central Bank Chief, the minister said.
Minister Kiriella told the media conference in Kandy that former President Mahinda Rajapaksa was making the promises that he had failed to implement while he was in power and the most ludicrous among them was the promised salary increase to public servants and financial assistance to youth. “Why couldn’t Rajapaksa do that for them through the 11 budgets he presented as President?”
Mahinda Rajapaksa had tabled his last budget in November 2014, Kiriella said.
Minister Kiriella said that foreign industrialists and business tycoons were visiting Sri Lanka in their numbers to invest in ventures because they had found that situation in Sri Lanka was conducive to such investments. There were peace and amity among the communities. Justice prevailed in the country, he noted.
Sri Lanka had no capital to invest in large scale industries. Therefore, Sri Lanka should seek the assistance of foreign investors. For that purpose a friendly atmosphere must be ensured for the foreigners, Kiriella said.
He said the construction of roads, highways and expressways should bring in profits and benefits. Industries must be established alongside the roads, but that had not happened.
The election was peaceful unlike in the past because the law was being enforced strictly.