Sri Lanka investors praise Dr. P. B. Jayasundera's action in terminating ‘Controversial NSB-TFC Deal’ at Colombo Stock Exchange!

Sri Lanka’s Dr. Punchi Banda Jayasundera had now become a ‘Terminator’ in island nation’s ‘Controversial Deals’, investors at Colombo Stock Exchange told CSE Leaks.

“It is good I think when he stepped down from Treasury Secretary Position in September 2008 after the Supreme Court Judgement; he told media that he will be taking some rest at home reading books before taking up new assignments; so since he came back to the seat from end of September 2009 after filing a motion I think he has learned a lot about Good Governance from reading books” a source told CSE Leaks.

According to market analysts and general public becoming a ‘Terminator’ in Sri Lanka’s Controversial Deals; Dr. Punchi Banda Jayasundera this time took steps to block a ‘Deal’ that was going to earn some ‘Bucks’ to Bond King Devasurendra, Anura Fernando, Dinal Wijemanne and Pradeep Kariyawasam – The husband of Present Chief Justice Dr. Shirani Bandaranayake -

Dr.Jayasundera this time said the finance ministry will issue a circular to set up investment committees at state entities to make equity purchases through a defined process with exposure limits, after terminating the 'Controversial NSB-TFC Deal'

"A new circular on investment committees will be issued," Jayasundera told reporters after releasing the finance ministry's annual report recently on Thursday the 24th May 2012.

Jayasundera had said that there will be a process where the committee will be protected from interference. His comments came after the sale of stock in The Finance Company PLC (TFC) whose liabilities exceed its assets by Rs. 3.7 billion by December 2011 at over 65% above market price to state-run National Savings Bank (NSB).

Meanwhile ‘Controversial Deal Terminator’ Dr. Punchi Banda Jayasundera had said that said there was no interference by ruling politicians on this matter and that NSB had halted the deal after Jayasundera intervened.

“Jayasundera had said he had told the board of NSB to stick to the bank's core business while a committee had been appointed to investigate the deal”

In Sri Lanka resignations over financial scandals are rare according to general public comments. And people opine that the country does not have an independent civil service to ensure rule of law or justice as the institution of permanent secretary was broken by successive constitutions in 1972 and 1978 paving the way to arbitrary rule.

However Dr. Punchi Banda had highlighted that there were Treasury nominees in many state entities but they did not necessarily have expertise in stock purchases.

"There are people who know better in these institutions. Also government entities have to depend on market participants to make investments," he had said to reporters adding that "If there is a defined process it will protect everyone. These institutions also have to set exposure limits."

Dr. Punchi Banda Jayasundera had said there was a justification for long term contractual savings institutions, including the EPF to invest in stocks and that some state entities had also rushed into stock when interest rates fell to improve returns.

However after Dr. Punchi Banda Jayasundera intervened to ‘Terminate’ Controversial ‘NSB-TFC Deal’ according to him all except one director of National Savings Bank (NSB)  had resigned and Sri Lanka's post master general had been appointed and was acting as chairman of NSB until the appointment of a new board.

Reports outline that only four directors were needed for a quorum and senior career officers of the bank had been unhappy at the deal, according to reports.

Meanwhile several general public, concerned investors at Colombo Bourse say that ‘Controversial Deal Terminator’ turned Dr. Punchi Banda’s immediate intervention is needed to prevent repeat of several purchases of stocks done by the Employees Provident Fund , including investments in Galadari, Nawaloka Hospitals, Central  Finance PLC, Ceylon Grain Elevators, Diesel & Motor Engineering (DIMO), Brown & Company PLC, LOLC, Eden Hotel, Richard Pieris & Company and Colombo Dockyard since they have been controversial and most of the time the sellers have been the Bond King Ajith Devasurendra led cartel that including many of his companies and ‘EPF Deal Contractor’ former collapsed bankrupt tea company - Gold Quest connected Fern Tea Chairman - Anura Fernando, Now SEC banned stock broker Dinal Wijemanne, Kattar Aloysius Grandson Arjun Aloysius, former ceylinco money broker Harsha De Silva led Navara Capital and few others. Sources close to Bond King Ajith Devasurendra outlines that Ajith Devasurendra had discretionary powers on one billion Rupee worth trading portfolio of LOLC.

History of ‘Controversial Deal Temrinator’ turned Punchi Banda Jayasundera

Dr. Punchi Banda Jayasundera has been in the civil service for the last 33 over years. Prior to his appointment as the Secretary to the Treasury, he was Deputy Secretary to the Treasury from 1997-1999, Director General, Department of Fiscal Policy and Economic Affairs in 1995, and Economic Advisor in 1990. He held several senior positions in the Central Bank of Sri Lanka before joining the Ministry of Finance and Planning.

In addition to the office at the Ministry of Finance & Planning, Dr. Jayasundera has also held office as Chairman, Public Enterprises Reform Commission, Senior Policy Advisor, Ernst & Young, and as consultant to the IMF and the World Bank on country assignments.

Dr. Jayasundera holds a Master’s and a Doctorate degree in Economics (1984) from Boston University, USA, a Master’s degree in Development Economics (1979 – 1980) from Williams College, USA; and a bachelor’s degree in Economics (1973) and Phil Economics (1974) from the University of Colombo, Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka cancels an unethical deal of Fake Stock Market Bulls

Sri Lanka’s top citizen appointed by the people for the rule of the island had cancelled the controversial National Savings Bank’s (NSB) deal pioneered by government appointed NSB Chairman Pradeep Kariyawasam that involved in buying a 13.02% stake of former Ceylinco owned The Finance Company, a deal pioneered by former First Capital Money Broker Ajith Devasurendra’s Taprobane Securities lead by Dinal Wijemanne,  top Sri Lankan’ Secretariat sources revealed CSE Leaks.

Accordingly a statement by the Top Sri Lankan’s Office had said the deal had been cancelled in a release at 8 p.m. to public.

Sri Lanka's state owned public deposit rich National Savings Bank bought a 13.02% stake of former Ceylinco owned oldest finance golden house of the island The Finance Company PLC (TFC) on 27 April 2012. After the transaction a filing by Sri Lanka's former Money Broker and Bond marketer Ajith Devasurendra lead Taprobane Securities said.

National Savings Bank had bought 7,863,362 ordinary voting shares of TFC at an average price of Rs.49.74 per share. TFC was the largest contributor to the day's turnover with Rs.394.09 million and a total of 7,982,705 shares traded via 58 trades. Several crossings were done whilst TFC stocks changed hands in parcels of 2,904,983  and 4,237,400 shares at Rs.50 per share and 701,761 shares at Rs.45 per share whilst the sellers were believed to be Taprobane Securities CEO Dinal Wijemanne, Raynnor Silva and former Chairman of failed Tea Company Fern Tea Nirmala Anura Fernando who sold 50,000 shares at Rs.45 per share.

Market Analysts said that after the deal NSB directors had been compelled to cancel the payment of the transaction cost that amounted to over Rs.390 million with the instructions of the Top Sri Lankan who had later scolded the NSB Chairman for carrying out the transaction.

Not knowing the circumstances Sampath Bank PLC the Central Depository System (CDS) settlement custodian of Taprobane Securities had then paid the total sum to main sellers including Dinal Wijemmane and others.

Since NSB had not paid to the transaction after losing the payment of over Rs.390 million Sampath Bank had then cancelled settlement for other share transactions that took place after 27^th April behalf of its other brokering clients which Sampath Bank acts as the settlement custodian, according to analysts.

Meanwhile it is learnt from inside sources that shares that were sold by Dinal Wijemanne were actually owned by Ajith Davasurendra and Nirmala Anura Fernando whilst on 3 May 2012 The Finance Company PLC (TFC) in a filling to Colombo Bourse said that company wish to inform Dinal G. Wijemanne has resigned from the board of directors of The Finance Company PLC (TFC) with effect from 2 May 2012.

However the company added that Dinal Wijemanne has been again appointed as an Alternate Director to Nirmala Anura Fernando - Independent Non Executive Director of The Finance Company PLC with effect from 2 May 2012.

However TFC on Wednesday issued a statement to Sri Lanka’s Pink paper writer defending NSB’s buy.

Pink Paper quoted that analysts said that it was NSB’s prerogative to clarify or deny allegations levelled by UNP MP Dr. Harsha De Silva over the investment of Rs. 400 million to buy a 13% stake amounting to nearly eight million shares at Rs. 50 each, when the TFC stock was trading around Rs. 30.

Sri Lanka’s Pink Paper said quoting analysts that “If the TFC is making a statement and in the process divulging various price-sensitive information, then such a move may have had the TFC Board sanction. In that context then the Board as well as the director who sold can run the risk of insider dealing,” analysts opined. Among major sellers last Friday were shareholder Director Dinal Wijemanne, who incidentally is also the CEO of Taprobane Securities, the broker picked by NSB for the purchase.

According to Pink Paper NSB’s buying into TFC stirred up a controversy due to multiple reasons. One is the alleged risk of public savings when NSB makes such investments into a company which has a negative net worth of Rs. 23 per share and is saddled with Rs. 9 billion retained losses.

Though the Rs. 50 is being perceived as expensive, sellers said the 13% stake had been originally bought in September 29011 at Rs. 48 per share, suggesting that NSB paid only Rs. 2 extra.

However, others pointed out that when there were thousands of those who were stuck with shares unable to sell at lower prices after having bought last year at higher level, because of the “Arranged Deal,” sellers of TFC shares indeed were the most fortunate couple in the market.

On the day the deal went through, a few others who had relatively large blocks offered to sell, however the NSB broker had declined to buy. Analysts said it was important for NSB to collect quantities from the market rather than buying from a favoured few. Nevertheless, NSB did mop up 98.5% of the 7.982 million shares of TFC traded on Friday, whilst the major sellers accounted for 89% or 7.1 million shares comprising 2.9 million each (Dinal and Rayynor), 669,700 (Nandadeva Perera) and 667,700 (Yogendra Perera).

In the Pink Paper in a statement, the UNP’s MP and its Chief Spokesman on economic matters, Dr. Harsha De Silva had said: “We note with serious concern the purchase of close to eight million shares of TFC by the NSB at 65 per cent above its current market price. What logic was employed to pay Rs. 49.75 for shares of this high risk and loss-making financial institution when it was last traded at the Colombo Stock Exchange for only Rs. 30 is more than a puzzle.”

“Perhaps one could argue that it is the business of the board and management of any institution to pay whatever price it feels is right for anything they purchase. But NSB is not, by any stretch of the imagination, just another institution. It is absolutely the only bank whose deposits are fully guaranteed by the Government of Sri Lanka as expressed explicitly in the statute governing the bank: NSB Act No. 30 of 1971,” the UNP MP had said.

“This necessarily means that NSB must maintain a risk-averse investment profile and transactions like the one just concluded are not what it should be engaging in,” Dr.De Silva had said.

In the Pink Paper Dr. De Silva had alleged that the husband of the Chief Justice of Sri Lanka, Pradeep Kariyawasam, who continues to enjoy power and position as the Chairman of the NSB among several other plum postings offered by the Government, was a glaring example of conflict of interest.

 “A number of colourful personalities including Anura Fernando whose name has been linked to the now-abandoned Central Bank investigation on the Gold Quest pyramid scam and a former Director of Capital Reach Leasing, a company in which Ajith Nivard Cabraal had a significant interest, also sit on its board,” alleged the statement by UNP MP.

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