Features
The Pandora Glory of today
Sri Lanka has certainly reached a time of universal glory.
The Pandora Papers have given us what our political, business, art and sports or any other leaders have failed to give us since independence, or even before that.
Let us not forget that Nirupama Rajapaksa and Thirukumar Nadesan have given us the warmth of association with global personalities such as Russia’s Vladimir Putin, UK’s Tony Blair, Uhuru Kenyatta, King Hussein of Jordan, and many others who have had their hugely hidden wealth revealed to the world. We must be truly grateful to them for bringing us to such a position, which no political leader of any party has done before this.
At a time when Sri Lanka is facing a huge crisis in foreign exchange, especially for the import of essentials, we must be hugely glad that there are two Sri Lankans, described by an independent consortium of global journalists, as having so many millions of dollars in offshore accounts. Why have such wealth in Sri Lanka, which is fast building its image as a land of the crooked. The restored Governor of the Central Bank must be truly joyful of such millions held in offshore banking.
We have now gone a big step further in this matter of global interest. The multi-million-dollar matter of the Rajapaksa – Nadesan duo has been handed over to the Commission to Investigate Bribery or Corruption, by none other than President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, with a 30 day deadline too. How much more could he have done, even though Nadesan himself preferred a retired judge.
Surely matters of such dollar importance, in so many millions, cannot be left to retired judges or any persons, other than the Bribery Commission, which has such a wonderful record on the fight against corruption in this country.
Just keep in mind that Sri Lanka has a wonderful recent record in fighting the crooked and corrupt. We had a Presidential Commission which found almost all persons suspected of corruption by the legal authorities, under the Yahapalana government, found to be innocent, and recommendations for nearly all such cases to be dropped or withdrawn. And we have a government which was only too pleased to follow such advice.
That is not all: we have a government which has pardoned those who have been found guilty of murder by all courts up to the Supreme Court, and then given important government jobs, too. When that is how we deal with the killing of humans, why should we bother too much about how this Gotabaya Governance deals with many millions of US dollars? What joy this must be to any Pandora players in dollars.
The Bribery Commission has its own record of achievements in dealing with crime and corruption. It now has its own special methods of dealing with the courts and the accused before them. It is ready to tell the courts that not all Commissioners have signed a petition to the court, and have the cases dismissed with speed, and the Attorney General keeping generously quiet.
It will find technical irregularities with before the court, which does not make them correct the irregularity, well within its system and power; but withdraw the case to please the accused.
Do you think a matter involving more that US 160 million, in offshore accounts, in whatever offshore investment or hiding location they are in, could be fully investigated in one month? Just wait for the call for a postponement, for three months or more, and await the huge problems that will come with the next budget, which will make the Pandora papers seem a wastepaper in the politics of Sri Lanka.
Minister Basil Rajapaksa brought the Finance Bill, now approved by the two-thirds plus Parliament, which requires just One Percent of crooked money to be declared to be free of taxation and all other financial requirements under the law.
To get back to the Bribery Commission, do you think it will ask this Pandora duo to tell it and us, what all the paintings or illustrations that have been stored in some offshore location are? Why doesn’t President Gotabhaya ask the Tourism Minister to ask for these paintings, to have them shown in a special Pandora Art Gallery in Sri Lanka; making it a big tourist attraction in the coming years? It can be one major cause for a Pandora Presidential Pardon, which will be the beginning of Pandora Pardons in the world.
We are now in a time of Pandora Pleasure. A Rajapaksa – Nadesan duo has given us a record of dollar and art collection. Let us wait for more stories to follow that can also give more stuff to the Bribery Commission to have its own achievements in the release of the crooks and rogues.
Let us celebrate the Pandora Glory of today!