A question was posed to Central Bank Governor Dr. Indrajith Coomaraswamy during a media conference today (09 May) on the validity of the Rupees 5,000 currency notes bearing the signature of former Central Bank Governor Arjuna Mahendran.

In response, the incumbent Governor said, “The first Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka was a US citizen. The Governor of the Central Bank of the United Kingdom is a Canadian. I am not so sure whether there are any laws against a foreign national being the Governor of the Central Bank. This appointment was made by the President according to the norms of the appointment.

“All currency notes issued by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka are legally valid,” assured Dr. Coomaraswamy.