Attorney-at-Law Manoj Gamage has denied allegations that former First Lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa misappropriated State or public funds through the Siriliya Saviya Foundation, claiming that all money collected by the organisation remains untouched in its bank account.
Responding to allegations raised by government politicians, Gamage said the Siriliya Saviya Foundation had initially collected funds to purchase a PET scanner for children receiving cancer treatment.
People’s Bank had donated Rs. 2 million to the fundraising campaign, he said. However, after the Chinese government offered to provide the PET scanner free of charge, the foundation decided to retain the money collected for the construction of a dedicated children’s ward at the cancer hospital.
“Not a single rupee collected in the Siriliya account to purchase the scanner was taken by her for personal use or any other purpose. All the funds, including the Rs. 2 million donated by People’s Bank, remain safely in that account to this day,” Gamage said.
Reiterating that the funds had not been diverted, he said neither Rajapaksa nor any member of her family had benefited from the money.
“Mrs. Shiranthi Rajapaksa has not taken even a single rupee. The funds remain safely in the account in exactly the same manner. Neither Mrs. Rajapaksa nor her family members have taken anything from it for their personal use,” he said.
Gamage compared the situation to a village temple collecting donations to construct a stupa and subsequently receiving the structure free of charge from another donor. In such circumstances, he said, the temple could retain the money for other charitable or religious activities.
He claimed that none of the donors to the Siriliya Saviya fundraising campaign had objected to the decision or requested a refund. The funds were therefore retained exclusively for the proposed children’s ward, he said.
Gamage further said the allegations had previously been investigated for four years during the Yahapalana Government and claimed that the Attorney General had subsequently advised that legal proceedings could not be pursued.
Accusing the current Government of attempting to mislead the public through a political witch-hunt, he challenged the authorities to disclose whether investigators had found that even a single rupee had been withdrawn or misused.
