NLB spent Rs 400 million on MR’s campaign
Finance Ministry calls for probe:
by Uditha Kumarasinghe
The Finance Ministry has asked the Anti-Corruption Committee set up
by the Government to investigate the use of Rs.375 million as
promotional funds of the National Lotteries Board (NLB) for the
Presidential election campaign of former President, Mahinda Rajapaksa
Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake told the Sunday Observer yesterday.
The Minister said they had given all relevant information to the
committee regarding the misuse of NLB funds by the former regime.
The matter is being investigated and we have requested the committee
to complete the investigation as early as possible to initiate legal
action against those involved, the Minister said.
The Lotteries Board has complained that 90 percent of NLB promotional
funds amounting to Rs. 400 million had been spent on the Presidential
election campaign of the former President. NLB chairperson Shyamila
Perera told a media briefing on Friday that the NLB had spent Rs. 67
million on video walls installed throughout the country for the election
campaign of the former President.
In addition, more expenses were incurred by the NLB on musical shows,
dansalas and tournaments such as the marathon organised by Calton Sports
Network. All these payments had been made within 40 days.
The newly appointed NLB Chairperson said they were investigating and
had commenced an audit at the NLB following the guidelines by the
Finance Ministry. It has been identified that massive expenditure had
been incurred by the NLB from November 2014 to January 2015 targeting
the election campaign of the former President. |