(Lanka-e-News -15.Sep.2024, 11.20 pm) As we all know, several deals involving the current President and the Minister of Power, considered highly corrupt (such as the Adani, Ottamavadi, and Poonakari power projects that aimed to provide electricity at extremely high prices), have come to light. Since these power plant projects failed to receive approval from the Public Utilities Commission, the agreements could not be signed, causing the Minister of Power significant frustration.
With the term of the current Chairman of the Public Utilities Commission having ended on July 15 this year, there have been multiple attempts to appoint a highly corrupt officer named Priyantha Gunathilaka to that position. Gunathilaka, who retired from the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) and was later politically appointed as the Vice-Chairman of the CEB, is seen as a means to secure approval for these projects. However, the appointment has so far been blocked due to the intervention of officials from the Presidential Commission, who have the authority to make such appointments. Nonetheless, it is learned that as a final attempt, the Minister of Power and the current President are making another push to make this appointment this Wednesday.
Gunathilaka, currently serving as Vice-Chairman of the CEB, was involved in a large-scale corrupt deal during the Northern Spring Project, involving the purchase of thousands of concrete poles through a company called Richardson. An internal audit and investigation conducted by the CEB confirmed Gunathilaka’s involvement in this corrupt deal. Despite reports being submitted to the relevant authorities, including officials at the Presidential Commission, attempts are being made to proceed with his appointment under the direction of the corrupt Minister of Power.
Furthermore, the current Chairman of the CEB and the Acting General Manager, both of whom have been politically appointed and have significantly damaged the energy sector, have issued a letter to the officials of the Presidential Commission stating that Gunathilaka is an innocent individual. They are attempting to influence the decision despite the overwhelming evidence against him.
During his previous tenure at the CEB, Priyantha Gunathilaka had been using political connections to exert various pressures on the management, securing his position. However, due to his involvement in the above-mentioned corrupt activities, the management had cut many of his benefits, including vehicle permits and other perks, according to trade unions.
It has been revealed that this corrupt official is closely associated with the current President and is representing the party's Executive Committee in organizing and overseeing election activities in the Jaffna District. Trade unions argue that appointing such a corrupt individual as Chairman of the Public Utilities Commission, an institution responsible directly to the public, would violate both public trust and electoral conditions.
The trade unions have strongly emphasized that if the Presidential Commission members, who have the authority to appoint officials to the Public Utilities Commission, fail to nullify this appointment and ignore the evidence against Gunathilaka, they will take maximum legal action against both the members of the Commission and all officials who have falsified documents to support this appointment.
According to reports, this appointment is scheduled to take place after the end of the Presidential election campaign on September 18.
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by (2024-09-15 21:01:50)
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