Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa today denied allegations by Foreign Minister Mangala Samarweera that he had siphoned off state monies during his tenure and that his family held assets worth US$18 billion overseas.

In making that statement about my family’s supposed USD 18 billion fortune, minister Samaraweera  took the precaution of adding that he does not know whether this information is correct or not. By covering himself in that manner, fiction can be passed off as fact, Rajapaksa said in a release today.

Full release;

USD 18 billion belonging to the Rajapaksa family Foreign minister Mangala Samaraweera said at a press conference yesterday that they have received information from foreign intelligence agencies to the effect that I, my wife, sons and brothers had amassed a fortune of 18 billion US dollars which had been concealed in secret offshore accounts and front companies overseas. There was a time when any large house that was being built in Colombo or hotel that was being built anywhere in the country was supposed to belong to members of my family. Such propaganda cannot be carried out now, so our political opponents have resorted to talking about money stashed overseas.

In making that statement about my family’s supposed USD 18 billion fortune, minister Samaraweera  took the precaution of adding that he does not know whether this information is correct or not. By covering himself in that manner, fiction can be passed off as fact. When the foreign minister makes such statements, the story is picked up even by foreign news agencies. These are the devious means by which false propaganda against me is being disseminated. I would like to inform the public once again that neither I nor my wife and sons nor my brothers have secret offshore accounts or illegal overseas investments in front companies.