NFF exposes deal to 'buy' MP

There are just nine days to go for the much decisive day, in the aftermath of ending the 30-year war on terrorism. In the fight for the topmost job - Presidency, a cheap and shameless attempt has been unveiled by the Opposition to 'buy' politicians in the run up to the Presidency at a time the Opposition is carrying their main slogan: "a future without bribery and corruption".

In a dramatic episode, the National Freedom Front (NFF) exposed an attempt of popular UNP politicians trying to buy one of its Parliamentarian - Mohamed Muzamil offering him a lucrative package - Rs. 30 million and a chance for migration to a foreign country.

On Friday, carrying bundles and bundles of thousand rupee notes, MP Muzamil explained the 'secret deal' by the Opposition to bag him. According to Muzamil, he was first approached by M. Mustapha in Parliament and informed about the deal - Rs. 30 million and a chance for migration - if he was willing to support the Opposition candidate.

The place of handing over the 'bribe': Saphire Hotel, Wellawatte

Room Number: 205

Money paid: Rs. One million (an advance)

The task: To attend a press conference of Gen. (Rtd) Sarath Fonseka and to announce support for him.

Muzamil said that the transaction was done with the consent of the UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe, Malik Samarawickrema, Ravi Karunanayake and Mangala Samaraweera.

Being made fully aware of the deal, the NFF party leader Wimal Weerawansa backed MP Muzamil and instructed him to get all the audio and video evidence to prove the attempt.

"I decided to take the money to expose the hoax of eradicating bribery and corruption put on by Sarath Fonseka and I attended his press conference where too I told the media about the bribe offered to me and accepted by me deliberately to expose the hoax. These funds had come from a foreign Embassy to buy Parliamentarians for the Fonseka camp.

"They want to destabilise the country again with the assistance of foreign powers and their promise of eradicating bribery and corruption is a total hoax as could be seen from this bribe offered to me.

"I will be reporting this bribe to the Bribery Commissioner tomorrow," he said.

Muzammil showed his camera phone with the audio and visual evidence of the bribe given to him and said he would release the compact discs of the recordings to the authorities and the public.

According to Muzammil, the transaction had taken place at a hotel in Wellawatte where the afore-mentioned MP and a representative of the foreign embassy had handed over the cash.

National Freedom Front leader Wimal Weerawansa said the entire effort of the Fonseka camp was corrupt and not clean as they pretended.

He said that buying MPs was the biggest threat to democracy and it showed the future intention of the Opposition which clamoure to eradicate bribery and corruption.

If a bribe of thirty million rupees was offered to a member of Parliament how much more would they offer to other party leaders. Foreign embassies and anti-national elements who were behind the UNP and the other anti-national forces in the Sarath Fonseka camp were again trying to destabilise the country for their own personal gains and destroy the peace achieved with supreme sacrifices of the armed forces and the people. The NFF released video evidence to prove the 'transaction' had released the audio evidence including telephone conversations to the media yesterday.

Weerawansa said that there was evidence to prove that these deals were sponsored by the West and the pro-LTTE Tamil diaspora. "We have evidence of conversations to prove that they had sponsored the Opposition in this dirty game", he said.