Mahroof Will Not Tell How He Got A Billion
By Nirmala Kannangara
Mohamed Mahroof and Ranil Wickremesinghe
Former UNP Colombo District parliamentarian Mohamed Mahroof who crossed over to the ruling party following his failed attempt to get the Mayoral candidacy nomination from the UNP for the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) claims that he had given one billion rupees to the UNP leader for election campaign work.
Mahroof told The Sunday Leader that he had given UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe one billion rupees for campaign work on two occasions in 1999 and in 2005 for the presidential election campaign.
“I have proof to show that I have given Rs. 500 million for each presidential campaign that Ranil Wickremesinghe contested,” he claimed.
However Mahroof did not wish to say how he got the one billion rupees which was given to Wickremesinghe.
According to Mahroof, the first Rs. 500 million had been handed over to one Ananda Atukorala who happens to be a close friend of Ranil Wickremesinghe at his (Mahroof’s) Colombo residence while the second Rs. 500 million was handed over to Atukorala and Malik Samarawickrema prior to the 2005 presidential election.
“Although Atukorala visited my residence to collect the money, I sent the remaining money two days before the election to Samarawickrema’s office through my secretary,” claimed Mahroof.
Mahroof meanwhile said that he has challenged Ranil Wickremesinghe to a live debate if he (Wickremesinghe) denies taking money from him for the 1999 and 2005 presidential election campaign work.
“I have now thrown a challenge to Wickremesinghe for a live debate where I am ready to divulge every detail about the money I have given him (Wickremesinghe). That is why I do not want to divulge anymore details as I want them to be raised at the debate,” said Maharoof.
When contacted,Malik Samarawickrema told The Sunday Leader that there was no truth in these ‘rubbishy’stories of Mahroof sending money to his office to be spent on Wickremesinghe’s campaign,
“I am sick of answering these questions because whenever there is a crossover during election time, such stories which are rubbish allegations are made up. There is no truth to these allegation,” Samarawickrema said.
where the cid looking at , why cannot arrest maharoof and ask for the tax payment what he has to pay to the country , if not he is a rouge , according what we know as a colombo resident , he had no nails to scratch his back even , how could he own billions , where the inland revenue , what action to be taken.