‘US Ambassador offered me a bribe’: Minister
A Government Minister has claimed that he was offered a ‘bribe’ by outgoing US Ambassador Michele Sison.
Resettlement Minister Guneratne Weerakoon told a political meeting in Aranwela on Thursday that he had recordings of the discussion, to which the Secretary to his Ministry was also privy.
“She came to meet me and said I was a skilled Minister. She said I had done a good job with resettlement,” the Minister said.
Minister Weerakoon said the Envoy had asked him to remove military camps in the north.
“I answered that it is not my job to do that. President Rajapaksa is the Commander-in-Chief. He will not allow the LTTE to raise its head again,” the Minister revealed.
Referring to the US Envoy as “Michele Nona,” Minister Weerakoon alleged that she was involved in pumping money to topple President Rajapaksa’s Government.
“She told me she would give me and my family a green card and ‘we will give you a house in the US, your children will get scholarships’. I replied that I was a man from the south and I didn’t want what she was offering,” he added.
The Minister said that his experience had shown that this was how foreign ambassadors were buying Government ministers.
There was no immediate reaction from the US Embassy to the Minister’s remarks and allegations.
US Ambassador Sison leaves Colombo this weekend for her new posting in New York.
She will be posted as Deputy Ambassador to the UN in New York, where President Barack Obama’s former National Security Advisor Samantha Power serves as Ambassador.
(Source: FT.lk)
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When did she ask these things ? And why do you reveal now ? If she had asked such things, you should have discussed with president and other politicians and respond her in a diplomatic way. US embassy has been undertaking many humanitarian activities in Sri Lanka including helping to victims of Koslanda landslide recently etc. You like western countries and world bank and IMF money but always criticize them. Sri Lanka can easily ask US embassy to leave the country diplomatically if they are such bad.
Your purpose of revealing ow is to take a political advantage and convince citizens of the country that there exists western countries lead conspiracy in the country. All the news in this onlanka web are based on election propaganda based, re-distribution of jeweleries, reducing oil prices etc.
I don’t defend US embassy but ‘think before you leap ‘.
http://srilanka.usembassy.gov/ambassador.html
Basnayaka, I apologise if I upset you, but as usual you seem to overlook something simple but most effective. If I were you, I would first ask (post here) that the minister should make the recording available to the media, if he has anything like he claims to have.
Basnayaka is obviously a stooge of US embassy in SL. I have no doubts that this attempt at corrupting the Minister did take place. Actually the good minister has recorded the conversation and no doubt has played it back to Hon President to show how US administration interferes in SL internal affairs and tries to corrupt SL Ministers to be US puppets as UN officials are.
US and Bitish administrations are very keen on assisting LTTE rump in SL and diaspora Tamils and TNA to gain autonomy for N & E. That is why as a prelude they want the Army bases in N & E withdrawn. How would USA feel if we/China/Russia were to try to corrupt their officials and ask them to close all their bases around the world and release the ‘prisoners’ in Guantanamo Bay, which is a war crime on US part to hold them without a trial?
If I were the minister, I just inform this case secretly to the president and minster of external affairs. Then president can write to US president informing not to intervene in internal affairs.
But now it is likely that people think screaming on political stage about this issue is attempting to get political advantages.
There appears to ben issue here.
The Hon Minister claims ha has a recording of the conversation with the US Ambassador which took place a couple of months ago.
I wonder why, as a law abiding citizen holding a Cabinet position, he has not turned it over to the IGP.
There are others who have “files” on alleged criminals and wonder why these alleged “criminals” are not being investigated and prosecuted?
Does this mean politicians have the power to break the law and protect criminals?
There is a serious credibility issue here.
Behaviours such as above result from delusion caused by substance abuse.
Martin, your story of some having “files” is common to both sides. Sirisens also said he has files against MR and family and why not give those files to the CID?
That means the politics in dealing with corruption (for both sides) are the same and are not straight forward as many would like to believe. Only you and I will go to CID because we have nowhere else to go, but politicians will use them in a very different manner.
By not giving the recordings to CID, the government may be in secret negotiations with the giant thief USA to keep away from SL affairs. The removal of Sison from the embassy by giving her a promotion outside SL must be one result of such secret negotiations. Just wait and see guys !
Otherwise a talented and experienced secret regime changer like Sison will not be suddenly removed from SL by USA at this time specially when a decisive election is on.