Public Petition Launched Seeking Release of Funds Invested in Agricultural Projects

A public petition has been launched calling for the release of funds invested by members of the public in agricultural investment projects, following the suspension of several institutions involved in such schemes by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka.

The petition campaign was launched by the Civil Intelligence Front at Independence Square in Colombo.

Chairman of the organisation, Sanjaya Mahawatta, said investors had been placed in an unfair situation after several institutions that had accepted public funds for agricultural investments were suspended by the Central Bank.

He said the organisation had therefore begun collecting signatures for a public petition on behalf of the affected investors.

According to Mahawatta and other representatives, the petition campaign will be taken across the country with the aim of collecting one million signatures.

The campaign began at Independence Square, while several representatives of the Civil Intelligence Front, including Sanjaya Mahawatta, addressed the media.

The Central Bank has previously investigated institutions accepting public funds for agricultural investment projects and has stated that entities not authorised under relevant financial laws are not permitted to accept deposits from the public