• Ranil to request Lazard to conduct briefing
• UN anti-corruption legal provisions to be introduced to appease IMF

BY Mirudhula Thambiah President Ranil Wickremesinghe said in Parliament yesterday (6) that Opposition parties and the Cabinet will be briefed on the International Monetary Fund (IMF) staff-level agreement within two to three weeks. He also noted that if possible, he will obtain the assistance of the Lazard financial and debt advisory firm in order to conduct the briefing. “I am arranging it in the next two to three weeks. We are having a Cabinet session together with that, and the leaders of the Opposition parties will get a briefing on it. I am trying to speak to Lazard to check the possibility of involving them in the briefing. It would be better than our officials giving you that briefing,” he added. He said further that “the-staff level agreement is subject to ratification by the IMF Board and unlike in earlier instances, we still have to go and meet the main creditors. We don’t know whether there will be any other conditions imposed and therefore, we cannot release the staff-level agreement at this time until the Board clarifies it.” President Wickremesinghe said the above while responding to a clarification sought on the special statement that he made in Parliament, by Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Spokesman, Parliamentarian M.A. Sumanthiran (PC) with regard to the staff-level IMF agreement, and the House being kept informed of the negotiations. Sumanthiran also raised another question in the Chamber: “The IMF issued a statement at the time when the staff-level agreement was being reached, highlighting what they called ‘corruption susceptibilities’ a challenge. What is the Government’s plan to address corruption within the Government in order to overcome this?” Responding to Sumanthiran, President Wickremesinghe stated: “With regard to the IMF concerns in regard to corruption, the Minister of Justice Dr. Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe (PC) is bringing a corruption law which will include the United Nations (UN) provisions which had been referred to in the staff level agreement”. He also said that an opportunity will be given to discuss it in Parliament.