The Hon. Chathuranga Abeysinghe

¶ 01 On alleged irregularities, legal action should be taken wherever warranted. The Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption reportedly has over 21,000 files. Our institutions are also initiating legal steps on legacy issues. On your specific allegation, I cannot provide an immediate update, but as a policy we are compiling files and referring them for investigation where necessary.

¶ 02 Regarding Sevanagala Sugar, the Government’s objective is to continue it as a state enterprise. However, for idle lands and underutilized assets, there is a management decision to explore public-private partnerships, attracting private capital to improve the core sugar business. This is our broader policy across the Ministry’s enterprises to move beyond current constraints via PPPs. There is no threat to farmers or employees; job security and production capacity will be safeguarded. Within our one-year development plan, despite some challenges, we will continue operating it under state ownership while addressing bottlenecks.