Travel ban on Aloysius et al

Colombo Fort Magistrate and Additional District Judge Lanka Jayaratne yesterday banned Perpetual Treasuries Ltd owner Arjun Aloysius and three other officials of the company, namely CEO Kasun Palisena, Technical Officer Nuwan Indika Salgadu and Sachith Madusanka Devathanthri from leaving the country.

The Court issued the travel ban on a request made by the CID, who filed a ‘B’ report, in connection with the altering and destroying the data in the telecommunication system of the PTL, according to a complaint received from the CID assisting the……Presidential Commission of Inquiry (PCoI), probing controversial Treasury Bond issues during Former Governor of CBSL Arjuna Mahendran’s tenure from 2015 January to 2016 June. The Magistrate ordered the CID to submit a report of the progress of the inquiry on the next date.

Earlier in the day, Former Central Bank Governor Arjun Mahendran told the PCoI that he had not signed the oath taken by Government servants and that he had not been informed by any authority that he needs to do so.

Meanwhile, Acting Solicitor General Dappula de Livera asked Mahendran how the secrets on the sale of treasury bonds were given to his son-in-law, the owner of Perpetual Treasuries Arjun Aloysius, enabling the latter to earn billions during the very first such sale of treasury bonds that took place since he took office at the request of PM Ranil Wickremasinghe. Mahendran appeared before the Commission for the second day running yesterday. Mahendran told the PCol that he had maintained a rapport with PM Wickremasinghe since 1989 and that the latter had already intimated to him of his decision to appoint him as the Governor of the CB as soon as the new regime was sworn in. He told the Commission that Ministers Kabir Hashim, Dr. Harsha de Silva, Malik Samarawickrema, former Minister Ravi Karunanayake and even the PMs Secretary had been aware of Wickremesinghe’s decision to appoint him to the top position at the Central Bank.