Former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga said that she was once offered a bribe of USD 5 million, which she promptly refused during her tenure as Prime Minister.
The former President was speaking at the 45th National Conference of Chartered Accountants in Colombo, where she spoke about rampant corruption in Sri Lanka.
“It has happened to me. Five million dollars were brought to my table in Parliament. I was still Prime Minister then. I said, take it and get out now. It was brought by the husband of a junior minister in my government. I said I’ll have you arrested, get out with this now,” Bandaranaike recalled, adding that this individual was accompanied by a Singaporean businessman.
The former President stressed on the need to shape values from a young age, stating that it may not be possible to change the minds of adults who are accustomed to corruption.
“We had a president who used to say, steal as much as you can, but don’t get caught. He said this to his cabinet. He used to say this to his parliamentary MPs and local government MPs.”.
“Everyone stole and nobody was arrested. This system is what has bedevilled our country,” Bandaranaike added.
She warned that while businessmen may bribe to secure projects, widespread corruption ultimately leads to national bankruptcy.
“What you don’t realise is, okay, you may get that project, once or twice. But when that becomes the practice of the whole country, the country becomes bankrupt.” (Newswire)
“There was a President who said to steal without getting caught,” Former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga speaks about corruption, revealing how she refused a 5 million dollar bribe as Prime Minister. pic.twitter.com/zst3NxK3pK
— NewsWire 🇱🇰 (@NewsWireLK) October 17, 2024