Tipped for Thailand post :

Ex - UN envoy Kshenuka to be exonerated?

by Manjula Fernando

The Foreign Ministry will submit a report to the Parliament’s High Posts Committee on former Foreign Secretary and former Ambassador to the UN in Geneva Kshenuka Seneviratne, likely to exonerate her of charges with regard to ‘Genevagate.’

Seneviratne was mired in controversy over the alleged awarding of a contract to renovate her official residence in Geneva, to a company based in Zurich with alleged links to the Liberation Tigers. She is currently serving as an Additional Secretary overseeing economic affairs at the Foreign Ministry.

Foreign Ministry sources rejected reports that Seneviratne has been summoned before the High Posts Committee to explain herself.

The top source said, the contract which is attributed to her on the renovation of the official residence of the Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the UN in Geneva, was initiated by the Charge d’Affaires of Lanka’s mission, before Seneviratne’s arrival in Geneva.

However, construction work began soon after Seneviratne assumed duties. A former Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva, Tamara Kunanayakam had claimed that Seneviratne had authorised the work on the official residence to be carried out by a company linked to the LTTE, disregarding the stipulated tender procedure.

Ministry sources confirmed that a report will be submitted to the High Posts Committee, but refused to elaborate on its contents.

Seneviratne assumed duties as the Ambassador to UN in Geneva on November 15, 2009, succeeding Dayan Jayatilake and preceding Tamara Kunanayakam who was offered the posting in 2011 by the then President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

The source added the Charge d’ Affaires in Geneva at the time had awarded the contract to renovate the official residence to a company, ‘Shelva Zug of Zurich’ owned by P.T. Thurairajah.

The Procurement Committee had approved the award of the contract on November 5. 2009.

When allegations were made that Thurairajah’s company had LTTE links, the then Head of Chancery of the Sri Lanka Mission in Geneva U.L.M. Jauhar wrote to Pierrer-Yves Huguenin of the Swiss Federal Intelligence, requesting the commencement of an inquiry in April 2012. The Swiss Federal Intelligence Service cleared Thurairajah of any LTTE links.Seneviratne was elevated to the post of Foreign Secretary in January 2014 and served till the change of government after January 8 and appointment of Minister Mangala Samaraweera as the new Foreign Minister.

Seneviratne is now slated to become Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to Thailand.