Responding to our article “TMVP-run councils under scrutiny’ that appeared last week on page one, Secretary to the Governor of the Eastern Province, S. Amirthalingam says:
“The Governor of the Eastern Provincial Council, Hon. Mohan Wijewickrama has directed me to respond to the article which appeared in the front page of the Sunday Times (City edition) dated 25.04.2010, that he had at no instance indicated that investigations or inquiries had been initiated nor in progress against the local councils headed by the Chief Minister Hon. Sivanesathurai Chanthirakanthan’s Tamil Makkal Viduthali Pulikal (TVMP).
“However, the Hon. Governor when inquired by your representative had indicated that he is aware that authorities are conducting investigations into certain lapses culminated from the audited report of the Auditor General’s Department on some council.
“It is the Trincomalee Urban Council which is under investigation and this is not headed by the TMVP. The Chief Minister is the Provincial Minister for Local Authorities which is probing into lapses in this case.
“Further, the Governor observes that though the TMVP contested separately at the General Elections, supports H.E. the President and works closely with the Government and contested under the UPFA at the Eastern Provincial elections and there is no truth to the statement which appeared in your article that the TMVP is being probed for alleged financial irregularities, misuse of state vehicles and illegal appointments following the fallout with the Government.”
Reporter’s note:
The Governor of the EP when contacted by the Sunday Times confirmed that there was an investigation underway into an audit query against the local councils.
We have rightly quoted him in the story as confirming an “audit probe’ but the rest of its contents have not been attributed to him but to other sources.
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