SRI LANKA PROBES

COLOMBO : Sri Lanka's parliament last Tuesday announced an investigation into how the private phone records of legislators were-

Leaked in a scandal that has deepened acrimony between President Maithripala Sirisena and his coalition.

Lawmakers allege their phones were illegally tapped by a commission selected by Sirisena and to investigate a long running insider trading scandal linked to the central bank.

''We must find out how this information leaked out and remedial action should be taken,'' said parliament speaker Karu Jaysuria as ruling party legislators accused the presidential commission of hacking their phones.

Sirisena has publicly accused politicians from his own coalition of frustrating his investigation, launched earlier this year, into a bond dealing scandal at the  central bank.

The then-central bank governor Arjuna Mahendra, who was sacked in April 2016, was accused of  misconduct regarding the alleged favors to his son-in-law Arjun Aloysius, who is accused of causing millions in losses to the island's coffers.

Ravi Karunanayuke resigned as foreign minister in August after being linked to Aloysius, a controversial financial trader who is under investigation.