Fireworks erupted at the board meetings of Sri Lanka Telecom and Mobitel on Friday with Telecom Chairman P.G.  kumarasinghe vehemently opposing moves to suspend Mobitel CEO Ranjith Rubasinghe pending an inquiry. The SLT Board meeting was held first at 4 pm. Soon disagreements broke out.

The situation escalated so much that Harin Fernando, the Telecom Minister, was called around 9.30 pm to defuse the tensions. He did so and helped the parties agree on certain decisions. This included suspending Mr. Rubasinghe for three months pending inquiries into allegations, including using Mobitel money and resources for the former President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s re-election campaign. It was also stated that Mr. Rubasinghe had allegations against him at the Financial Crimes Investigation Division of the police. The Mobitel board meeting started after Minister Fernando left late on Friday night.