Sabry tells Prez why he resigned

Treasury Secretary too steps down

Having announced his resignation as Finance Minister, Ali Sabry, PC, has sent the following letter to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa: “When I tendered my resignation from the post of Minister of Justice on the 3rd of April 2022, it was not my intention to take up any post thereafter. However, in order to maintain parliamentary democracy and the stability of the system and constitutional governance, in light of the multitude of requests made by the business community, professionals and some of my Cabinet colleagues, I decided to accept the post of Minister of Finance only as an interim measure until a suitable, full-time and sustainable solution could be found.

However, after much reflection and deliberation, and taking into consideration the current situation I am now of the view, for your Excellency to make suitable interim arrangements to navigate this unprecedented crisis, fresh and proactive and unconventional steps needs to be taken, including the appointment of a new Finance Minister.

In order to facilitate such an appointment, I hereby tender my resignation from the post of Minister of Finance with immediate effect. If Your Excellency wishes to appoint a person suitable to handle the situation from outside the current Parliament, I am willing to step down from my Parliamentary seat to enable Your Excellency to make such an appointment.

Whilst I regret the inconvenience caused, I believe I have always acted in the best interests of the country, and at this crucial juncture the country needs stability to weather the current financial crisis and difficulties,

It is my fervent hope that those who love our country will understand the enormous challenges and the realities on the ground and will act with responsibility and diligence without further escalating the present crisis.”

Lawmaker Sabry copied his letter to Secretary to the President Gamini Senarath and Treasury Secretary S. R. Attygalle, who also tendered his resignation yesterday.