A new controversy has erupted in Sri Lanka’s political landscape, with former Minister Johnston Fernando being implicated in a contentious ethanol deal, and two Members of Parliament, Chathuranga Abeysinghe and Najith Indika, accused of attempting to broker a deal at the Kingsbury Hotel.
Varuna Rajapaksa has claimed that former Minister Johnston Fernando is behind the “deal” involving Deputy Minister Chathuranga Abeysinghe’s discussions with an ethanol company at the Kingsbury Hotel. Rajapaksa alleges that Synergy Distilleries, a company he claims is owned by Johnston Fernando, previously acquired a portion of the Payagala Distilleries, which belongs to the Kalutara Cooperative Society, through the intervention of a former Cooperative Minister.
Rajapaksa believes that the new Rs. 100 million deal brought forward by Chathuranga Abeysinghe pertains to the remaining portion of this cooperative institution and its entire business. He further stated that after Abeysinghe was questioned about the deal, the “businessman who brought the deal” was introduced by some as a party activist. Rajapaksa revealed that he has information identifying this businessman as “Johnston of Kurunegala.” He emphasized that these revelations are not mudslinging but an exposure of fraudulent transactions occurring in the country. While he previously held a positive view of Chathuranga Abeysinghe, Rajapaksa now accuses him of resorting to lies and deals, warning that he will reveal more evidence as needed.
Meanwhile, Parliamentarian Hon. Rasamanickam today (22) revealed details in Parliament about a controversial “secret deal” allegedly involving two government ministers. He stated that MPs Chathuranga Abeysinghe and Najith Indika attempted to make a deal with a businessman at the Kingsbury Hotel within the past month.
According to Rasamanickam, this transaction involves the sale of a special licensed distillery located in Payagala, owned by the Kalutara Cooperative Society Limited. He highlighted that this distillery holds a special license, pre-dating 1950, allowing for import and distribution.
Rasamanickam further asserted that he possesses a “Letter of intent to lease and restart the Cooperative Distilleries Society” related to the deal, and that the two MPs took this proposal to the Kingsbury Hotel.
In response, Deputy Minister Najith Indika denied that he or MP Chathuranga Abeysinghe discussed such a deal. However, he admitted to learning about the incident through social media, criticizing the accusation by saying, “Just because someone set up a camera somewhere and made a YouTube video, it cannot be brought to this House irresponsibly.”
Rasamanickam strongly retorted, stating that this is “not just some random thing” and urged the government to immediately examine the CCTV footage from the Kingsbury Hotel to ascertain the truth. He reminded the government that the people gave them a mandate to curb fraud and corruption.
He further suggested that this incident appears to be an attempt to replicate a past instance where a former minister fraudulently sold the bottling section of this distillery on a large scale. Hon. Rasamanickam appealed to Parliament to launch an immediate investigation into the matter.
