Land and Irrigation Deputy Minister Dr. Sunil Ranasinghe told Parliament yesterday that two ex-Presidents and two former MPs had been involved in a controversial 1,000-acre land deal in Kurunegala.
Ranasinghe said that the land in question had been obtained on lease by former Deputy Minister Salinda Dissanayake, who subsequently used it as collateral to secure a loan from Lankaputhra Bank. The loan, however, was not paid.
The Deputy Minister alleged that former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga, and one of her predecessors—whose name he was not disclosed—had intervened to have the lease payment for the land reduced significantly.