SJB Parliamentarian and Kurunegala District MP Nalin Bandara made explosive allegations during yesterday’s no confidence motion debate, claiming Power and Energy Minister Kumara Jayakody was involved in a fraudulent case with Sri Lanka Telecom three decades ago.
Bandara drew on the decades-old incident to establish a pattern of questionable conduct, connecting it to the current coal tender scandal. Bandara argued, seeking to demonstrate that the coal corruption was not an isolated incident but part of a longer trajectory.
Minister Jayakody remained conspicuously silent when Bandara made the accusation.
Jayakody was recently indicted for a case related to his tenure at the government-owned Fertiliser Company.
The surfacing of multiple alleged incidents spanning different institutions and decades has intensified questions about the vetting process for ministerial appointments and whether the President was fully briefed on his close ally’s background before appointing him to the crucial Power and Energy portfolio.
Meanwhile, opposition parties are forming a joint front to pursue the coal corruption case beyond the failed no confidence motion.
Reliable sources close to key Opposition strategists indicate they will pursue multiple avenues including parliamentary oversight committees, public campaigns, and potential legal action to maintain pressure on the minister and government.