Asian Mirror is now in a position to reveal that over 120 computers that were found from the Temple Trees did not have hard drives. The computers were recovered from a special unit that was operating from Temple Trees aiming the presidential election, held last month.

There were about 160 computers in the entire unit and the large majority of them did not have hard drives. The unit was set up by former Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa, who was also the Manager of former President Rajapaksa’s election campaign. 160 desktop computers — one for each electorate — were linked to field co-coordinators in the different electorates who provided data and information. The large majority who worked at the Temple Trees office were handpicked from the ‘Nil Balakaya”, which was set up by Parliamentarian Namal Rajapaksa.

Therefore, the office operating at the Temple Trees all the necessary data to conduct a comprehensive election campaign covering all parts of the country, except the Northern province. The 160 electorates were with the exception of those in the North. They also had an understanding of the opposition strongholds that they had to “neutralize”.

However, sources close to the former administration confirmed that the office was fully functional even during the Election Day. A top level spokesman from the present Prime Minister’s office told Asian Mirror that the hard drives had been removed in the wee hours of January 08 – soon before former President Rajapaksa’s exit from Temple Trees.

The ‘whereabouts’ of the hard drives, he said, is yet to be found out.