Sunanda Deshapriya resigns over financial deal

CPA to investigate

An extensive inquiry will be launched by the Free Media Movement into the financial dealings with regard to its projects that were handled by its immediate past convenor Sunanda Deshapriya who rendered his resignation on Friday over alleged financial mishandling, on Friday according to Department of Information. The Free Media Movement functions as a wing that deals with media related activities of the Centre for Policy Alternatives headed by Dr. Pakiasothy Saravanamuttu. Dr. Saravanamuttu, the Executive Director of the CPA commenting on the resignation of Sunanda Deshapriya said the CPA has accepted the resignation.

He also added that the Directorate of the CPA will meet tomorrow December 22 to look into the resignation of Sunanda Deshapriya and the allegations made against one of the projects handled by him.

Dr. Saravanamuttu in a statement released on his capacity as the Executive Director of the CPA stated that Sunanda Deshapriya has personally returned in full the money he owed to the organisation after an investigation into financial anomalies of a project he was responsible for.

Meanwhile the Secretary of the Sri Lanka Working Journalists Association (SWJA) Poddala Jayantha commenting on the allegations made against SWJA following the resignation of Sunanda Deshapriya said that the SWJA had only the working relationship with the FMM and its former convenor Sunanda Deshapriya and nothing else. "We did not have any financial transaction with the FMM and we were only invited by the movement for its project activities along with other media organisations. The SWJA is aware of the accusations made against it following the resignation of FMM convenor Sunanda Deshapriya.

Therefore the SWJA is now considering legal measures to be taken against the accusations that were surfaced against it,"Poddala Jayantha said. - AP