All attempts to contact Perpetual Treasuries Limited owner Arjun Aloysius by the CID has failed, by late evening yesterday.
Accordingly, the CID has not being able to handover the notice issued by the Treasury Bond Commission summoning Aloysius to give a statement to the CID.
According to evidence, former Member of Parliament Rosy Senanayake’s son may have given Arjun Aloysius a copy of PTL CEO Kasun Palisena’s statement to the first COPE committee.
Additional Solicitor General Yasantha Kodagoda played a telephone call conversation between Perpetual Treasuries Limited Chief Executive Officer Kasun Palisena and PTL Chief Dealer Nuwan Salgado, from which this evidence surfaced.
The said telephone conversation was one of the many telephone call recordings deleted by PTL IT Executive under the direction of PTL Chief Dealer Nuwan Salgado and supervision of PTL CEO Kasun Palisena.
The said telephone call recording has been originated by Kasun Palisena to Nuwan Salgado on 12 August 2016 at 12.58 p.m. Palisena has made the call while overseas, specifically in United Kingdom. Corresponding serial number of the conversation is 176614.
According to the conversation Palisena has wanted Salgado to obtain a COPE statement given by Palisena which Arjun has received from a person they referred to as “Rosy’s son.”
The conversation if loosely transcribe will be as follows.
Palisena: Here, a copy of the full statement that I gave to the COPE is with Arjun. He has got it from Rosy’s son. Take it to your hand.
Salgado: Should I call the boss?
Palisena: Yes, boss will have it with him.
Commissioner Supreme Court Judge P.S. Jayawardena cautiously asked
ASG Kodagoda whether the content is relevant to the mandate of the commission.
JJ: We do not want anything that is not relevant to our mandate.
ASG K: It is very much relevant.
JJ: The fact that a copy of a statement given to COPE coming out should be a matter of the Parliament. Parliament should handle it, not us.
ASG Kodagoda then resumed questioning the witness.
ASG K: So, according to the call conversation what manner in which Arjun Aloysius seems to have received this copy?
Salgado: According to Palisena, Aloysius has received it from Rosy’s son.
ASG K: Who could be this Rosy?
S: Since there is COPE involved, it could be a reference to former MP Rosy Senanayake.
Rosy Senanayake was a member of the sub COPE committee investigating to the Treasury Bond issue.
ASG K: Who is Rosy’s son?
S: Kanishka Senanayake.
ASG K: Do you know of a particular association between Kanishka Senanayake and Arjun Aloysius?
S: Could have been friends.
Justice Jayawardena (in a lighter tone): Could have been an alumni of a particular college!
ASG Kodagoda also questioned the witness on why Palisena wants Salgado to take this said copy into his hands.
ASG K: Does not Mr. Kasun Palisena says (in the telephone conversation as to) why he wants the COPE statement?
S: He says it should be sent to the Governor.
ASG K: How did you understand the reference? There are Local Governors, there are CBSL Governors, and there are changes of Governors…
S: It should be Governor Mahendran.
Following the conversation, Salgado has inquired Aloysius about the said copy. “Aloysius said he will take care of it. I do not know what happened thereafter.” Salgado said.
The said telephone conversation also refers to a PTL Director named Sanjeewa Fernando. Accordingly, Fernando on that day has gone to the Parliament and has requested for information from Salgado. “I got the impression that there was someone else with Fernando, who was the one looking for information and data.” Salgado said.
JJ: Did this Sanjeewa Fernando testify before the COPE?
ASG K: I don’t think so. So we can draw inferences.
Commissioner Justice Jayawardena then requested ASG Kodagoda to carry on with leading evidence while summing up, “So, up to now there is a pilfering son of an MP, an over inquisitive Governor and an unprepared director.”