The COPE recommendations do not say a fraud had taken place and that ex-governor Arjun Mahendran was responsible, Perera told a UNP membership promotion campaign in Bandaragama.

It only says the directors of the CB should be held responsible, according to him.

Directors of Perpetual Treasuries and others linked to the issue were not UNPers, he said, adding that there were no political differences for persons who committed fraud and corruption.

The same thing happened on a smaller scale when Ajith Nivard Cabraal was the governor during the Rajapaksa regime and Cabraal’s younger sister was a directress of Perpetual Treasuries.

It began to be done on a large scale after the government changed, he charged.

Mahendran resigned and he is no more there in the CB, but unfortunately the same thing continues to happen today, according to him.

That is why the CID should make an investigation, the deputy minister said.

He charged that a majority of COPE members did not have a backbone to point the finger at the culprit, or to say how much had been defrauded and that that money should be recovered from those responsible.