By Anura Balasuriya Courtesy The Island

Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa says the loss caused by treasury bond scam was much bigger than the amount stated in the report of the Presidential Commission of Inquiry into the bond scam.

Addressing the Sri Lanka Podu Jana Peramuna’s inaugural rally in Kadawatha on Saturday, the former President said that he had serious doubts about the amount of loss mentioned in the report and was sure that the country suffered a very much larger loss than the amount mentioned by the commission.

The former President demanded to know from the government whether the profit earned by investing the funds obtained from the selling of treasury bonds too would be recovered from those responsible for the scam.

“This is the biggest fraud ever in this country. Nowhere in the world a central bank had been robbed in this manner. This is a disaster and people should think whether that they would allow the government to continue to swindle the public money in future,” he said.

Rajapaksa said the prices of essential goods were increasing on a daily basis because of the loss caused by the Central Bank treasury bond scam. The government shifted the burden of loss to the public by increasing taxes. The people should tell the world whether they were ready to continue with the same bunch of fraudsters on the election day on Feb 10, he said.

Large number of SLPP members, Joint Opposition MPs, Provincial Councillors and local government candidates and party supporters attended the meeting.