• Cite corruption allegations of ‘politically motivated, non-transparent’ appointment  

The United Trade Union Alliance (UTUA) expressed disapproval of the recent appointment of D.A. Rajakaruna as the Chairperson of the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC/CEYPETCO). 

The appointment, made by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake following the resignation of former Chairperson Saliya Wickramasuriya, has been described by Union representatives as politically motivated and lacking in transparency. Speaking to The Daily Morning yesterday (30 September), the Convenor of the UTUA, Ananda Palitha stated: “that this appointment represents a continuation of the tradition of placing a Government loyalist in a pivotal role”. He emphasised: “that Rajakaruna’s past raises concerns, citing multiple corruption allegations during his tenure as the Manager of the Ceylon Petroleum Storage Terminals Limited’s Muthurajawela Terminal”. Palitha claimed: “This person is not a new person. Also, he was released from duty during the United National Front for ‘Good Governance’ regime to work at the Anti-Corruption Committee. He took all the benefits including the salaries while serving in that position.” He questioned the rationale behind Rajakaruna's appointment, highlighting a lack of clarity regarding the selection process. “We have no clue on what basis this appointment was done. The only reason is him being a trade union leader attached to the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna. The new administration claimed that they would not make any political appointments. This is a clear violation of that promise. They are continuing the practices followed by previous Governments,” he asserted.

Several attempts made to contact the Secretary to the Ministry of Power and Energy and the CEYPETCO management proved futile.