President Maithripala Sirisena has asked Foreign Affairs Minister and former finance minister Ravi Karunanayake to resign from his portfolio in the face of the allegations levelled against him in connection with the Central Bank bond sale, government sources said yesterday.
They said the President had told the minister that if he continued to function as a Cabinet minister, it would create serious issues not only to the government but also to the minister himself and as such the President had pointed out that the best solution available to the minister is to resign from his ministerial portfolio.
President Sirisena is reported to have conveyed this to the minister during a dinner held on Thursday night at Temple Trees to celebrate Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe's completion of 40 years as a Member of Parliament.
Minister Karunanayake was also summoned to the Presidential Commission of Inquiry (PCoI) to testify with regard to the evidence submitted to it. (Ajantha Kumara Agalakada)
