Pandora Papers: Nadesan breaks his silence, says he has requested for independent probe

• He and his wife had been referred to as having various accounts /assets, offshore
• The President said necessary action will be taken based on the report

By JAMILA HUSAIN   

Breaking his silence for the first time since the allegations levelled against him and his wife came out in the Pandora Paper leaks, businessman Thirukumar Nadesan told Daily Mirror in an exclusive comment yesterday that he had requested President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to conduct an impartial inquiry into all the allegations, and he and his wife were innocent and guilty of no wrongdoing.   

Nadesan refused to comment further but said he had sent a letter to President Rajapaksa detailing his request for an independent probe so that the name of he and his wife, Nirupama Rajapaksa, would be cleared. In the letter addressed to the President which was later released to media, Nadesan wrote that the name of he and his wife had been referred to as having various accounts /assets, offshore, in references to what is referred to as the Pandora Papers.  

“It is commonly believed that all persons whose names have been so divulged are in some way guilty of wrongdoing. Several world leaders inclusive of Imran Khan have publicly announced that they will investigate anyone whose name appears in the Pandora Papers,” Nadesan wrote to the President.   

“I assure Your Excellency that my wife and I are totally innocent and are guilty of no wrongdoings. In the circumstances, I humbly request Your Excellency to appoint an independent investigator (preferably a retired appellate court Judge) without delay to investigate this matter so that my name and that of my wife would be cleared,” Nadesan said.   

“I am making this request to Your Excellency because my wife and I have suffered heartache and pain of mind. We have been presumed guilty, the presumption of innocence is reversed,” Nadesan further wrote. Shortly before Nadesan’s comment to Daily Mirror yesterday, President Rajapaksa announced that he had instructed the Chairman of the Bribery Commission to initiate investigations and submit a report within a month on the recently released Pandora Papers which caused controversy around the world.   

The President said necessary action will be taken based on the report. Highly placed political sources yesterday told Daily Mirror that the transactions which was alleged in the Pandora leaks had been from 1991 to 2000, an era before the Mahinda Rajapaksa administration.   

• The transactions which was alleged in the Pandora leaks had been from 1991 to 2000, an era before the Mahinda Rajapaksa administration