{"id":139922,"date":"2015-02-23T17:14:35","date_gmt":"2015-02-23T11:44:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/?p=139922"},"modified":"2015-03-06T03:12:13","modified_gmt":"2015-03-05T21:42:13","slug":"did-fonseka-bribe-gota-to-become-the-army-commander","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/did-fonseka-bribe-gota-to-become-the-army-commander\/","title":{"rendered":"Did Fonseka Bribe Gota To Become The Army Commander?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Doubts have been raised over a donation made by former Army Commander Sarath Fonseka<\/span><\/a> for Mahinda Rajapaksa<\/a>‘<\/span>s 2005 election campaign, as the funding had been done while he was serving as a state official in the Sri Lanka Army.<\/p>\n

\"Fonseka<\/a>During an interview in the ITN, the Democratic Party leader in response to a question admitted that he donated Rs. 600,000 for the election campaign of Mahinda Rajapaksa upon the request of Gotabaya Rajapaksa<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n

“I was the second in command then, in the Sri Lanka Army. Gotabaya came to my residence, which was located within the premises of the Army headquarters and requested a donation for his brother’s election campaign. He even wept, stuttered and said they are extremely short of cash to run the election campaign. So although I did not have the financial capacity to make a significant contribution, I gave Rs. 600,000 that was in my current account and he promised to return it but never did,” Fonseka said.<\/p>\n

He also states that although he was quite friendly with Mahinda Rajapaksa, he was not familiar with Gotabaya back then except on a professional level.<\/p>\n

“He joined the Army later than me and I knew him as a Lieutenant Colonel that was junior to me. Once in 2001, I met him in the US at the house of an ex-serviceman on Christmas eve but he was very different then – quite feeble and weak,” Fonseka said.<\/p>\n