Lanka PM appears before bond probe panel

COLOMBO: Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe appeared voluntarily before a panel investigating alleged irregularities in government bond sales on Monday to clear his name.
It marked the first time a Sri Lankan prime minister has appeared before an investigation panel and responded to questions raised by the Attorney General’s Department. Appointed by President Maithripala Sirisena after demands from opposition lawmakers, the panel has been looking into a 2015 central bank bond deals that some government critics said raised government borrowing costs. Sirisena has vowed to punish those responsible if there is any irregularities in the bond sale.
The panel will submit its finding to Sirisena next month. Wickremesinghe, during an hour of questioning, said he requested the then central bank chief hold a new public Treasury bond auction after finding gray areas in the previous government’s borrowing.