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| Sunday, 15 September 2002 |
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| News Business Features Editorial
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Rs. 70m fraud : CID sleuths to quiz Ed. Dept. officials The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) will shortly commence an investigation into the embezzlement of funds of the Kandy Provincial Council Education Department where a deputy director in collusion with other officials have embezzled Rs. 70 million by submitting bogus vouchers in respect of in-service-training programs for teachers of Kandy province, Police sources told the Sunday Observer. The CID sleuths will begin to question several professors, lecturers and teachers whose names have been falsely included in fictitious vouchers prepared by Education Department officials to draw money over the years. Statements of several Education Department officials attached to the Central Provincial Council will be recorded during the next few weeks. According to CID sources some of the professors, lecturers and teachers have retired from service long ago while others have been transferred to other parts of the country. The fraud came to light when Auditor General's Department officials began probing into activities of the Central Province Education Department following the acid throwing incident where one of their officers was seriously injured. CID sources said that large sums of monies have been fraudulently drawn from the Education Department in respect of in-service training programs for teachers in the Central Province from the year 1991. Meanwhile, the report by the Auditor General to the Public Accounts Committee on the massive fraud perpetrated by the Central Province Education Department have been forwarded to the CID for investigation. Earlier police said that six safes containing documents at the Kandy Education Department was set on fire by some persons while the Auditor General's probe was on. The Chief Accountant of the Kandy Education Department along with several high officials linked to the acid-throwing case are presently in remand while attempts were being made by some of the officials of the Central Province Education Ministry to flee the country while the CID began probing, reports say. According to Education Ministry sources there are around 600 schools in Matale, Nuwara-Eliya and Kandy districts with a staff of 6,000 teachers, administered by both the Central Provincial Council Education Ministry and the Department. Large sums of money have been allocated over the years by the Isurupaya Education Ministry to the Central Provincial Council for In-service Teacher Training programs. JJ |
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