CID records statements over payments for Indian Nano-Fertilizer

COLOMBO (News 1st); The Criminal Investigations Department on Monday (25) had recorded statements from the Secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture and the Secretary to the State Ministry of Agriculture.

Police Spokesperson SSP Nihal Thalduwa told News 1st that the statements were recorded with respect to the transaction surrounding the nano nitrogen fertilizer imports from India.

A simmering controversy erupted on Friday (22) when JVP MP Vijitha Herath gave parliament details of a bank account opened a week ago, and used to transfer funds to purchase the nano-fertilizer stock from India.

Secretary to the President, P.B. Jayasundara, on Saturday (23) vehemently denied the allegations against him, as published in a Sri Lankan daily newspaper.

A statement from the President’s Media Division stated that the newspaper report was false, untrue, and malicious.

In his denial, ‘PBJ’ has said an unequivocal investigation will be carried out into the malicious allegations, and the PMD noted that Dr. Jayasundara had informed the Inspector General of Police to summon all parties with regard to the article and conduct an extensive investigation.

The scandal revolves around approximately US$ 1.2 Million being transferred to the private bank account of two individuals Mohan Perera & G. M. Weerasinghe of ‘United Farmers Trust Limited’ for the acquisition of nano-fertilizer from India.

JVP Parliamentarian Vijitha Herath in an explosive revelation to Parliament said that Sri Lanka had deposited $ 1.275 Mn to an account of a private company, namely ‘United Farmers Trust Limited’, as payment for the recently imported Nano-Nitrogen Fertilizer from India.

He went on to note that the ‘United Farmers Trust Limited’ had paid $ 300,000 to IFFCO and another $ 50,000 as freight charges, another $ 37,000 as payments.

“Only a fraction of the total payment was made,” he alleged in Parliament and questioned what happened to the rest of the money.