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| Thursday, 3 June 2004 |
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Anura opens can of worms in BOI: Former chairman spent Rs.30-40m on 79 trips abroad by Anjana Gamage Industries, Investment and Tourism Promotion Minister Anura Bandaranaike has opened a can of worms in his crusade to clean up the Board of Investment (BOI). Mr. Bandaranaike told a media briefing, Tuesday, that the former BOI chief Arjuna Mahendran had allegedly made a colossal 79 trips abroad during his two year tenure as head of the country's premier investment institution, costing the tax payer between Rs. 30 million to Rs. 40 million. According to the Minister, huge payments have been made to certain top officials at the BOI but nothing in the way of output to justify such payments. "I am yet to sight some of these officials since I assumed duties as the Minister," he said. A top officer, Wasantha Perera was sacked from the BOI last week after the revelation of alleged misuse of BOI equipment and funds. The Minister claimed that some BOI officials have even demanded Rs. 30,000 from each investor merely for processing an application form. Major General Wasantha Perera (Deputy Director General-Administration Department) who was removed from the Army had been attached to the BOI where he was using a car with a monthly rental of Rs.128,000. The vehicle has been gifted to him in the end. "I am a Minister against corruption. We have given a promise to the people who voted for us to eradicate malpractice from this country. Therefore, I can do anything against these corrupt officials who come under my ministry," he said. The Daily News reported last Saturday that two BOI officials were sacked by Industries, Investment and Tourism Promotion Minister Anura Bandaranaike. The two officials are Major General Wasantha Perera (Deputy Director General - Administration Department) and G.N. Pathikirikorale (Senior Advisor - Senior Advisor's Office) both political appointees who had each been paid exorbitant salaries, of Rs. 100,000 per month. They were also using lease/rental cars at payments of Rs. 138,000 per month which the BOI paid. After a stipulated period of hire, these vehicles were transferrable in their names. It was also alleged that the former BOI Chairman Arjuna Mahendra who had a fleet of lease rental vehicles for his official and personal use had taken the cars home with him when he resigned. The new Board of Directors under Chairman Lalith de Mel, D. H. S. Jayawardane (Chairman Aitken Spence), Mrs. Prema Cooray (widow of Chryshantha Cooray, Chairman of Browns Group) and M. Karunadhara, met Friday at the BOI towers. Mr. Bandaranaike told the Daily News, that he had taken this firm course of action to clean up the BOI after having lengthy discussion with the President who concurred with the measures he proposed to take. The massive mandate received by the United People's Freedom Alliance was to get rid of archaic political appointees who were obstructing the policies of the Alliance. It was a good example of bad governance verses good governance, bad governance on the part of former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe who appointed these two individuals knowing their background well, knowing they were unfit to hold responsible positions of this nature. "It was a clear indication that Ranil Wickremesinghe was paying off political acolytes with huge government funds. Good governance means just the opposite. Therefore I have stopped these handouts being given to UNF cronies, millions of rupees in public funds." |
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