(MENAFN- Colombo Gazette) width="303" height="150" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/colombogazette.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Mangala.jpg?w=1200 1200w, https://i2.wp.com/colombogazette.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Mangala.jpg?resize=960%2C475 960w" sizes="(max-width: 303px) 100vw, 303px" data-recalc-dims="1" />Finance and Media Minister Mangala Samaraweera today accused former Defense Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa of being the most corrupt and dangerous public officer ever appointed in this country.
In a media statement today, Samaraweera said that Gotabhaya Rajapaksa invented the ‘white van' terror in Sri Lanka that attracted world attention and is being investigated over a corrupt MIG deal, plundering public money to construct memorial museums and naming them after his parents, unleashing assaults on journalists and over the enforced disappearance some of them, instigating corruption and terror and maintaining illegal armory thereby depriving the Government of its due income.
"Instead of proving himself his innocence before Courts against such charges that have already been leveled against him, he has retained leading lawyers to obtain anticipatory bail orders against those charges. Not only such charges against him are being investigated, charges of the kind are being investigated against the other members of the Rajapaksa family as well. It is crystal clear that Rajapaksa siblings have been endeavouring to grab ruling power once again by misleading the public because they are impatient to put these legal cases against them under carpet and exploit the national resources once again, and it is not for their special love for the country," Samaraweera said.
Samaraweera also rejected allegations made by Kurunegala District MP, Mahinda Rajapaksa who had charged that the Unity Government has to make the highest recorded debt repayment of US$ 4.2 billion in 2019 in the history due to the debt crisis created by the current Government.
Samaraweera said that after Independence in 1948, the highest amount of foreign debt had to be paid in 2018. He says the total foreign debt to be paid this year is US$ 2,845 million and of which US$ 1,789 million had to be paid for foreign debts which were borrowed before the year 2015.
"Only an installment of US$ 1,056 to be paid for the foreign loans borrowed after 2015. Accordingly, 63% debt installments to be paid this year are repayments of debts that had been borrowed during Mr. Rajapaksa's tenure as finance minister. It was at the level of 75% in 2017. This crisis will further worsen next year. US$ 4,285 million have to be paid in 2019 and of which UD$3,315 or 77% of the repayment are for the debt obtained during the tenure of the Rajapaksa regime. Another US$3,768 million will have to be paid as loan installments and the interest in 2020 and of which 77% or US$2,905 million is the debts that were borrowed before 2015. Only US$ 863 million have to be paid for the debt that was borrowed after 2015. In 2021, 83% of the foreign debt installments will have to be paid to repay the debt taken before 2015. In addition, even in 2030, 73% of the repayments will go to pay the debt that were obtained during Rajapaksa regime for the waste, fraud and corruption committed by the oligarchies of the Rajapaksas," Samaraweera said.
He said that after the current Government was voted to power, it had obtained foreign debts of US$ 12 billion during the last three years and, 6 billion out of which was from international donor agencies and under bilateral agreements at concessionary interest rates. (Colombo Gazette)
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