Rajitha the crooked two tongued

Rajitha threatens legal action against NFF National Organiser

March 4, 2015, 10:24 pm 

By Don Asoka Wijewardena

Health and Indigenous Medicine Minister Dr. Rajitha Senaratne yesterday vowed to institute legal action against National Freedom Front National Organiser Jayantha Samaraweera, who had lodged a complaint with the Bribery Commission against him for allegedly misappropriating Rs. 2 billion.

Minister Senaratne said that the complaint made by the (NFF) was baseless. It maintained that when he was the Fisheries Minister (2010-2014) he had imported eight trawlers at a cost of Rs. 400 million under his co-ordinating Secretary Lalith Anuradha Seneviratne for the firm Blue Ocean Fishery Private Ltd. The other complaints were related to obtaining tax relief for nine years from the Board of Investment (BOI) and abuse of power to anchor them in Colombo and Dickowita fisheries harbour.

He would urge the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption to conduct an impartial investigation into the allegations levelled against him as quickly as possible, the minister said. In case the complaints were found to be fabricated or false after the investigation, he would sue those engaged in a mud-slinging campaign against him, Minister Senaratne said.

The Bodu Bala Sena organisation also levelled similar charges against Minister Senaratne last year when he was the Fisheries Minister in the previous government and he threatened to sue them for damages of billion rupees, but nothing came of it.