The government has backtracked on earlier claims about the success of the controversial Supreme SAT project, with Minister Wasantha Samarasinghe telling Parliament today that the statistics previously provided by the Prime Minister were inaccurate.

He said the Board of Investment (BOI) had given incorrect data and that the project had failed, with the much-discussed satellite, commonly referred to as “Chichi’s rocket”, still unaccounted for.

Minister Wasantha Samarasinghe further stated that several discrepancies have been found regarding the Supreme SAT satellite project.

He said that, per current data, Supreme SAT Pvt. Ltd. signed an agreement with the BOI in May 2012 to establish a satellite system and provide telecommunication services, and the project was launched in November of the same year. 

The minister further said that data shows that Rs. 12.14 billion had been declared as assets by the company in 2012, and financial reports of 2013 and 2014 show an investment of nearly Rs. 12 million for a lease-based satellite. 

He pointed out that, however, the financial reports of 2014 and 2015 do not contain details of the previously declared assets, liabilities, and investments, adding that the whereabouts of the satellite also cannot be located.

Minister Wasantha Samarasinghe said that this development calls for an investigation into the matter. (Newswire)

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