A statement from son Namal regarding father Mahinda's 60 million bribe

Mahinda's son and Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) Member of Parliament Namal Rajapaksa, who had remained silent until now regarding the Airbus incident where it was revealed in court that former President Mahinda Rajapaksa had received 60 million as a bribe, made a statement today (22). Instead of stating whether the matter was true or not, he spoke about it in a way that diverted the topic.

He says this:

"The government is clearly still trying to cover up its incompetence by getting the courts or the so-called independent institutions in this country to prove some old lies they told. So, they intimidate people and get statements written. This is the experience this government gained from the previous Yahapalana (good governance) government.

Because the people who were in the anti-corruption committees of the Yahapalana government are also in this government. So, my regret is that the respect and trust placed in the independent institutions of this country, which are supposed to protect the law and deliver justice to the people, are collapsing. Therefore, the Inspector General of Police (IGP) needs to decide whether he will continue to act as the IGP for the 'Pannipitiya Malimawa' or genuinely work as the IGP of Sri Lanka and deliver justice.

So, if you keep making twenty million by twenty million like this, you won't be able to raise 18 billion dollars. Not in these five years, not even in the next lifetime. It's clear, isn't it? They previously spoke about 18 billion dollars. The journey to raise 18 billion dollars is being made by collecting twenty million by twenty million. So, what we have to tell the government is, please stop this bankrupt politics.

The people's problems will not be solved by the government slandering us further. Now, who do we turn to? If responsible officials in the country are being threatened with death to get statements written, and if the Inspector General of Police also supports it, and if the government led by the President is behind it, then who do we turn to? So, beyond that, what institution is there for us to get justice? That's why I clearly say that what is happening now is eroding the trust in these independent institutions.

We also tell the government, please conduct investigations fairly. Now, there is also a mention of a person who died by hanging in connection with this. Pressure has been exerted on him to the point of hanging himself. He has been pushed to the point of hanging himself. If, like in '88 and '89, such pressure is being exerted within government independent institutions to create false evidence, and if they are trying to intimidate others by pointing to that incident, then who do we speak to about the transparency of state institutions and independent institutions in this country? Clearly, we must take legal action, and we will inform every institution that needs to be informed.

But in the end, it is the false evidence they created that will be heard in the courts. So, if even the President who ended the war and built this country is treated this way, then one can imagine how these institutions will behave towards those who do not fulfill the needs of the ordinary people of this country.

The government's biggest problem is the Rajapaksas. It would be good if they understood that there are bigger problems in this country and the world right now.

This is not new; it was the same with the Yahapalana government and the JVP government. It's still the same today. Even when the war ended, Mahinda Rajapaksa said in his speech in Parliament that not only he, not only his family, but also his children's children would face challenges based on the decisions made. We made those decisions knowing this, so we neither regret nor back down."