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| Sunday, 20 March 2005 |
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Once more on SLIC tsunami funds by a Staff Reporter The Sunday Observer did not want to get into any running battle with UNP MP and Chairman of the Sri Lanka Islamic Centre M.H.Mohamed. But as he published advertisements in two weekend newspapers last week implicating the Sunday Observer claiming that we published malicious and false information to tarnish his name, we are forced to maintain the credibility of our story and further confirm how Mohamed had misused tsunami funds for other purposes. The Sunday Observer will answer some of the relevant issues raised in his advertisement and prove how he had fooled the generous Muslim community with false information. Allegation I: Alleged to have purchased a land in Maradana in the name of a close relative utilising Rs. 6.1 million received for the Tsunami fund. We never said that this property was purchased in the name of any relative of Mohamed. But he was wrong when he stated that SLIC received funds to purchase this land on December 22, 2004. He used tsunami funds to purchase this land on January 11, 2005. He proves it when he wrote a letter on February 3, 2005 to Dr. Mohamed H. Salem of the IDB stating "Your instructions to your Bankers given on 22nd December, 2004 were to remit a sum of LKR 6.5 million to the Sri Lanka Islamic Centre in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Your bankers failed to carry out these instructions and we finally received on 27th January, 2005 only a sum of LKR 6.205 million. The delay on the part of your bankers has resulted in a loss to us of LKR 295,000 because of application of the rate of exchange prevailing on 27th January, 2005. We shall appreciate if you would consider reimbursing us the shortfall of LKR 295,000 owing to appreciation of the Dollar against the Lanka rupee". In this letter Mohamed not only confirmed that SLIC received the money to purchase this land on January 27, 2005 but also he requested reimbursement of Rs.295,000 loss due to appreciation of the rupee. By that time he had purchased this land on January 11, 2005 using tsunami funds though he categorically stated in his answer that a red cent of tsunami funds was not used to purchase the land. He had written a cheque (number 512714) and a voucher (number 8814) on January 10, 2005 for Rs.5.8 million to purchase the land. He also wrote a cheque (number 512715) to pay stamp duty Rs.260,000 and another cheque (512716) worth Rs.100,000 to pay lawyer's fee. Allegation II: Alleged to have utilized Rs.225,000 for packing, labour, transport of relief assistance and use of tsunami funds for the purchase of gift items to IDB officials. Mohamed claims that no funds were used to purchase gift items or transport gifts to IDB officials. But we would advise him to check voucher number 8801 and cheque number 512701 and find out whether any cheque had been written on December 31, 2004 to purchase Rs.78,149 worth gift item (Dinner set) for the IDB delegate. Another two cheques (numbers 512717 and 512720) each worth Rs.12,000 have been written on January 11 and January 13, 2005 for transport and incidental costs of IDB Delegate Mr. Ali Siraj, gifts for IDB delegate and lorry hire. Allegation III: Alleged to have awarded a tender for the supply of goods to a fictitious party. Our story was published on February 20, 2005 and the SLIC was forced to complain to the Fraud Bureau implicating Mohamed's Private Secretary M. I. M. Hanifa. Fraud Bureau OIC Erabadugolla told the Sunday Observer that the SLIC had lodged the complaint on February 21, 2005. Allegation V: Secret Bank Account bearing no 01971017 at HNB Maligawatte. We never said that this is the secret account in our story. This is the official account. The Secret account was 2372301-7 opened
without a resolution of the SLIC Board and Mohamed was the only signatory.
Later this account was suspended by the Bank. Now the SLIC Board members
have taken over the operation of the account. |
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