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.