Govt denies Mahendran is working as Finance Ministry advisor

Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Finance today rejected allegations that former Governor of the Central Bank, Arjuna Mahendran, is serving the ministry in an advisory capacity. 

“The Ministry of Finance wishes to inform that Mr Arjuna Mahendran, the former Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka, is not working in any capacity in the Ministry of Finance.”

“The Finance Ministry denies the media reports Mr Mahendran currently acts as an advisor to the Ministry of Finance on the Central Bank,” the ministry’s Director of Information Ali Hassen said, issuing a statement. 

The Anti-Corruption Front (ACF) yesterday claimed that the former Central Bank Governor is currently acting as an advisor to the Finance Ministry.

The Sri Lankan-born international banker was appointed to the helm of the central bank in January 2015, after Maithripala Sirisena was elected as President. 

His term was not renewed after a year due to the controversy surrounding a Treasury bond issue by the Central Bank.