A high-profile young SLPP Turk who held a Cabinet rank and another cabinet minister were working in connivance to purchase domestic gas from the Oman Gas Company at an increased price.
They are into the deal despite the cabinet approval to purchase cheaper gas from a Thai gas company to meet the country’s high demand for gas, government sources said.
The Thai company has agreed to supply gas at a lower price than the Oman gas company.
Insiders point out that the quoted price of a metric ton of gas supplied by the Thai company stands at 112 dollars, whereas the Omani company has 129 dollars per metric ton, which is incredibly high.
The alleged transaction has raised suspicions about whether the two former and current ministers were, trying to embezzle government money in billions of rupees.
The Oman company has agreed to supply 100,000 metric tons of gas every four months, while the Thai company could only offer 60,000 tons of gas every four months, the Minister pointed out when asked.
However, it has come to light that the incumbent Minister is yet to hold talks with the Thai company on the availability of 100,000 tons quarterly at the agreed low price.
A trade union leader of the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) told Lankasara that purchasing gas from the Oman company that claims to supply 100,000 metric tons every four months would cause a considerable foreign exchange loss to the country.
According to reports, on a previous occasion, the high-profile young SLPP Turk has demanded a massive commission from the Oman Company if Sri Lanka is to purchase fuel from them.
The Oman Company has, however, declined.
