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More
questions than answers for PM’s ‘Helping Hambantota’
account: MP “The Helping Hambantota scandal draws a question mark over the bona fides of both the politicians and officials associated with this grim chapter in the history of the tsunami tragedy of December 26 last year. In his version of events, Mr.Weeratunga has failed to address several important points that support the allegation that Rs.83 million in donations made by a well-meaning public had in fact been misappropriated. Mr.Weeratunga would do well to answer the specific allegations made by me, for the benefit of the public, the donors, and most importantly, the tens of thousands of tsunami victims still living in tents and huts in camps scattered along the coastline, from Kalutara across Hambantota, to Jaffna. “Most importantly, he would do well to inform the public why it is that the “Helping Hambantota” account to which Rs. 83 million in public funds was channelled, gives its address as that of the Prime Minister’s sister, namely 166/A Pangiriwatta Road. Mirihana. Why is it that the signatories to this account, rather than being public officers serving in their official capacities, comprise three close personal friends of the Prime Minister acting in their personal capacities and his brother Chamal? Why was it that the Helping Hambantota account and the names of the signatories were never mentioned in the note to Cabinet submitted by the Prime Minister on February 2? After all the full account details relating to the Rs. 28.36 million that was credited to the National Disaster Relief Fund (which were in any case public knowledge) was stated, so why not inform Cabinet of where the far greater sum of Rs. 83 million went? Indeed, these details were never disclosed to the public or the government. The Rs. 83 million given to “Helping Hambantota” was a closely guarded secret until it was exposed by the media months after the event. “Quite apart from informing the public why he caused Rs. 83 million in public funds to be dealt with as hence stated, Mr. Weeratunga would also do well to explain why it is that almost every relevant law and regulation designed to safeguard public funds was breached, including Financial Regulations 170, 187,381 and 875 which relate to the opening of bank accounts and receipt of gifts made to the State, to say nothing of Section 26 of the Finance Act No 38 of 1971. What is more, even assuming that the money was indeed given to “Helping Hambantota” for the purpose of effecting a tsunami relief programme, it involves a contract between the government and “Helping Hambantota” in which case Act 91 (I)(e) of the Constitution precludes Mr. Chamal Rajapakse, a deputy minister, serving as a signatory, and therefore executive, of “Helping Hambantota” “Also damning is the fact that the Prime Minister knowingly flouted the President’s express direction, circularized by her secretary on December 29 last year, just three days after the tragedy that all donations should be handed over to the National Disaster Relief Fund. He then went on to choose to interpret the word “labena” in the Cabinet minute of February 17 in the future tense, continuing to conceal the existence of the “Helping Hambantota” account, and his siblings’ association with it, until these facts were exposed by the media. “While all this smacks of a disgraceful lack of transparency and conveys a sense of hopeless cynicism towards the suffering of the tsunami victims, Mr. Weeratungs’s version of events as detailed in your above cited article, is less than liberal with the truth. “For example, in relation to Rs. 25 million donated for national disaster relief by Unilever, which money was siphoned into the “Helping Hambantota” account, Mr. Weeratunga is reported to have sent Unilever a letter asking why they had not lodged a protest “when the newspapers had published the name of Unilever in the list of those who had requested their donations to be given to the ‘Helping Hambantota’ project back in February 2”. A perusal of the newspaper advertisements placed by the Prime Minister’s office shows, contrary to Mr. Weeratunga’s assertion, that there is no mention whatsoever of ‘Helping Hambantota’. Whom is he kidding? “Most importantly, what Mr. Weeratunga damningly fails to explain is why it is that Rs. 83 million in donations made by a public anxious to do everything in its power to urgently alleviate the suffering of the victims of the tsunami, was secreted in a private bank account registered to the address of the Prime Minister’s sister and to which his brother was a signatory, until exposed by the media five months later. “For a public servant, Mr. Weeratunga displays a spectacular ignorance of the government’s financial regulations. He states that he “issued a letter of instructions to the accountant of the ‘Helping Hambantota’ on how the funds should be expended. It required every voucher out of the expenditure of the funds allocated by the PM’s office to have his approval. “Mr.Weeratunga would have learnt however, prior to passing his first Efficiency Bar examination in the public service, that vouchers are approved before funds are paid out, not after. Every accounts clerk knows this. You do not pay out Rs. 83 million in public funds and then seek afterwards to approve vouchers. Mr. Weeratunga would do well to read the Financial Regulations, by which he is bound as a public officer. “What
the Prime Minister and his secretary would do well even now is to
seek to recover the Rs. 83 million from proprietors of ‘Helping
Hambantota’ and return these funds to the Treasury or to the
National Disaster Relief Fund. “By acting as he did, the Prime Minister has shattered public confidence in his office and betrayed a sacred trust. It is not too late, however, to make amends and to do the right thing. Give the money back”. |
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