LNP – Owner of sapphire worth USD 400 million summoned to Presidential Secretariat

The gem businessman who had been facing political threats over a special blue sapphire valued at over USD 400 million was summoned to the Presidential Secretariat for inquiries last morning.

Businessman Thushara Perera said that he had received the sapphire in 2017. He claimed that the inquiry focused on the political threats he had received over the sale of the gem.

In 2018 Perera was kidnapped and held for ransom and later released in the Puwakpitiya area of Avissawella.

Later, he was referred to the Controller of Exchange at the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL), who informed him that the Gem and Jewellery Authority will take note of the failure to provide a local valuation for rough gems and will take steps to remove related sanctions in the future.

The CBSL Exchange Controller further announced that a programme will be set up to ensure the repatriation of the USD 400 million expected from the sale of this sapphire abroad.

Additionally, it was conveyed that the President will directly oversee the foreign exchange earnings from the sale of rough gems overseas and that the Gem and Jewellery Authority will be informed accordingly.Â

The businessman has planned to sell the sapphire to buyers in the United States and Germany.