State Minister lashes out: says will reveal corruption at Ministry

COLOMBO (News 1st); State Minister for Ports and Aviation, Premalal Jayasekara alleged that he is not being allowed to perform.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday (22), Jayasekera said that he would expose fraud and corruption taking place at the Ministry of Ports and Aviation.

"The officers are working as per the instructions of the minister. They don't care about the state minister. I'm making this statement today because I can't stand this any longer," he said.

The State Minister also noted that he had already requested for his office to be shifted, as the massive payments for the current premises have not been settled.

"Unnecessary allowances are made to the higher officials of the Ports Ministry. I don't think that is a good thing, considering the current economy of the country," he added.

"As the Ports and Aviation State Minister, I can responsibly say that the part 'port' of Ports and Aviation is subjected to extreme corruption," he noted.

The State Minister also slammed the trade unions attached to the JVP for remaining silent over the recent handover of 13 acres of the Colombo Port to two overseas firms.

In March 2022, Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna Member of Parliament Premalal Jayasekara alias ‘Choka Malli’ and two others who were convicted and sentenced to death, were acquitted and released by the Court of Appeal.

On the 31st of July 2020, the trio was sentenced to death by the Ratnapura High Court on the indictments of shooting dead one person and injuring two others during the run-up to the 2015 Presidential Election in Kahawatte, Ratnapura.

They were convicted of causing damage to an election propaganda campaign and shooting dead a person identified as Shantha Dodangoda.

They filed appeals challenging the death sentence noting that the verdict by the Ratnapura High Court was flawed.

Premalal Jayasekera and the other two convicted men had filed petitions with the Court of Appeal citing that the manner in which the death sentence was imposed was in violation of the law, and they be acquitted and released.