Perpetual Treasuries Limited Chief Dealer Nuwan Salgado yesterday told the Treasury Bond Commission that Perpetual Treasuries Limited was bribing informants to get confidential information from the Employees’ Provident Fund and the Employees’ Trust Fund and other institutes in the Treasury bond market.
Salgado was a whistle-blower for the PTL as he gave evidence at several previous occasions against his employer.
Salgado yesterday submitted a report allegedly on the bribes given by his company to informants, to the Treasury Bond Commission.
On several previous occasions, the Treasury Bond Commission was probing into nicknames used by the PTL when they were dealing in the market. PTL CEO Kasun Palisena was extensively questioned on who ‘Little Jonny’, ‘Charlie’ and ‘New Charlie’ were. Palisena in his testimony quite tactically avoided divulging the persons behind the nicknames, stating that these were common nicknames used for persons at a given time or situation.
Salgado today said ‘Charlie’ were two informants the PTL had in the EPF. From 2014-2015, the informant ‘Charlie’ for the PTL from EPF was a dealer name Udaya Seelan and from 2016-2017, ‘Chalie’ was Indika Saman Kumara, who was the Chief Dealer of the EPF.
According to Salgado, two more informants, one ‘wolverine’ and ‘Little Jonny’ are Naveen Anuradha of a State Bank and Kaveen Karunamuni of the ETF respectively. Salgado, however, did not know who ‘Car’ and ‘Tango’ were.
Salgado also said that these informants were paid bribes by his company in million when former Governor of the Central Bank Ajith Nivard Cabraal was in office as well.
According to the report submitted by Salgado, within the six months from July 17, 2014 to December 31, 2014, the informants were paid by the PTL more than Rs. 94 million. According to Salgado, the PTL has been paying for its informants continuously from its commencement as a Primary Dealer in 2014.
Salgado is to testify before the Commission today as well. Two more witnesses including another dealer of the PTL are to give evidence before the Commission todayl.