By Yohan Perera and Ajith Siriwardana
Colombo, Oct. 21 (Daily Mirror) - Opposition MP Chamara Sampath Dassanayake today alleged in Parliament that the criteria for a tender to print stickers affixed to liquor bottles had been changed to favour an official attached to the Presidential Secretariat.
“This is a serious issue, as the tender for these stickers is worth millions of rupees,” he said.
The MP claimed that one of the tender criteria appeared to favour companies facing investigations by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC), alleging that the changes had been made to serve vested interests.
He also questioned what he described as double standards in law enforcement, claiming that some politicians were being detained while others facing allegations of wrongdoing were allowed to move freely.
“MP Namal Rajapaksa, myself and others are held in prison, while those allegedly involved in scams are allowed to move freely,” he said.
Dassanayake also questioned why no action had been taken against Minister Kumara Jayakody over allegations relating to the procurement of substandard coal. He further referred to another minister who, he claimed, had attempted to acquire a house in Dehiwala.
The MP also criticised a move by the Central Bank concerning the repayment of loans obtained by pawning jewellery. He claimed that private banks had been instructed not to allow borrowers to repay such loans in instalments, requiring them instead to settle the full amount in a single payment.
“This is unfair because poor people in this country pawn their jewellery simply to survive,” he said.