Farewell speech by Wijeyadasa Rajapaksa

Farewell speech by Wijeyadasa Rajapaksa

Mr. Wijeyadasa who was was expelled from post of Minister today under orders of the President addressed the media after bidding farewell to his staff and subjected the present government to harsh criticism. The speech he made in this connection, from below.

"I didn't leave from both Minister posts. I'll talk about my journey later ... In every government

throughout the history of our country the allegation aimed at each and every Justice Minister was creating influence on the Attorney General's Department and the judiciary. The constitution of our country has been violated by the cabinet of Ministers of our country itself.

According to the 157th constitution of the Constitutional Council, when entering into an agreement such as Hambanthota, a proposal should essentially be forwarded to parliament and it has to be approved from a two-third vote. Therefore, the transfer to Hambanthota is simply a piece of paper. It's legally invalid and null and void. If necessary, authority to transact is secured for operational activities of Sri Lanka Ports there are no powers to transfer, to lease out. This being revealed, there was a group who lost their temper. Hambanthota was launched ... Mattala was given approval. What my conscience says is that no other shameful matter than to remain in a cabinet which sells all national resources like this.

I didn't accept the post of Minister in Madam Chandrika's government. The post of Minister of President Mahinda Rajapaksa I gave up in 5 months time and stepped down. Today I speak here as a Minister who has been thrown out from the board of Ministers. The Central Bank fraud is the ransacking which can't be estimated which took place in this country from the time of King Pandukabhaya upto now. Because the President appointed a commission unexpectedly where names of masterminds were being revealed, these people are scared of names of the footnote clique of those who have concealed things would be then exposed.

Since the Attorney General's Department was progressing so far in an independent manner, it is anticipated that the public of this country would file legal action against those who are even more responsible. Therefore the standpoint is to send away this Justice Minister and that the backbone of the Attorney General's Department should be broken. That is the reason why the Attorney General has been summoned to Temple Trees on 15th Wednesday and had invited backbencher MPs including thuggery MPs and were given orders to him to make him a laughing stock and ridicule him requesting the judiciary to file action soon within 2 weeks against their antagonists.

This attempt now is to bring out a point that Wijeyadasa Rajapaksa the Justice Minister was involved in a deal with the Rajapaksa regime and that their law suits are being delayed, thus with the intention of focusing attention on it and tweeping the bond fraud under the carpet and make me the scapegoat. It must be kept in mind that it is a majority who threw a challenge to Mahinda Rajapaksa across the COPE Report in 2007 who make these accusations but were fondled on President Rajapaksa's lap at the moment I was stepping out.

During the 2002 - 2003 United National Party era, most resources of this country were sold; the CTB to be sold to Ravi Wettasingha for Rs. 860 million. If I didn't rescue it, there won't be a CTB in Sri Lanka today. The Sri Lanka Insurance Corporation ... the Appollo Hospital were lost. I rescued those that time. The Colombo Port which was handed over to the private sector fraudulently ... I rescued it by taking up the matter in courts and got it back to the masses. I call upon the public this moment to think about the decision that should be taken about an administration that goes on selling resources of all the public.

I was accused regarding the Avant Garde transaction. The former Attorney General Wijayatilleka has given a verdict that a case can't be filed in this connection. The report of the Special Presidential Commission was sent to the President indicating that there is no illegal transaction found there. If any legal steps are to be taken in relation to Avant Garde, the present Secretary of Defence onwards has to be taken into custody ... because even now it is in the Avant Garde vessel that the Navy Force hoard guns of the government ... in the sea. By now, over 500 guns are there. In that case, everybody from Minister of Justice onwards are responsible for it. Nobody has the right to point the finger at me in relation to that corruption.