Probe continues over former top officials :

Sil clothing fiasco hits new high

by Dhaneshi Yatawara

The fate of the persons with allegations of the sil clothing fiasco will only come to light after October 7. New leads will surface following the court investigations on the misuse of funds of the Telecommunication Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka (TRCSL).

Lalith Weeratunga	Anusha Palpita

The case on the misuse of TRC funds on the sil clothing campaign hit a new high as the Colombo High Courts issued notice to former Secretary to the President and former Chairman of the Telecommunication Regulatory Authority Lalith Weeratunga and its former Director General Anusha Palpita to appear before the courts on October 7. The notices were issued by High Court judge Kusala Sarojini Weerawardena when the case was taken up for hearing on Friday (18).

Following the revelations at the Colombo High Courts, nearly 20 people were questioned over the alleged embezzlement of funds since the preliminary investigations at the Financial Crimes Investigations Division (FCID). The alleged embezzlement of funds was over Rs. 600 million.

The case against Lalith Weeratunga and Anusha Palpita, based on the investigation results of the Financial Crimes Investigations Division (FCID) is filed over three indictments on provisions stipulated in the Public Property Act.

The allegation is over using TRC funds to distribute sil clothing among voters on a poya day in January, four days before the January 8 Presidential Election.

The allegations were that the sil clothing distribution was part of the elections campaign for former President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

Previously, in April 2015, former President’s advisor on religious affairs Watinapaha Somananda Thera was summoned to the Financial Crimes Investigations Division (FCID) to be questioned over the sil clothing fiasco. It became a serious violation of law considering the day clothing was distributed.

Notices

The acting Police Spokesman SSP Priyantha Jayakody declined to comment without an officially confirmed statement from the FCID informing him on the current status adviced by the courts to the FCID.

Attempts to contact the lawyers of Weeratunga and Palpita failed. At the time of going to press yesterday, neither Weeratunga nor Palpita had received the notices issued by the Colombo High Courts.

The public is of the view that a fair and just investigation should be carried out and the culprits should be brought to book as poor people have been deprived of their legitimate money.

As more and more corrupt deals are surfacing with numerous investigations taking place in the FCID, Criminal Investigations Department, Presidential Commission of Inquiry to Investigate and Inquire into Serious Acts of Fraud, Corruption and Abuse of Power, State Resources, and Privileges and at the Bribery Commission, the affected individuals in all these cases are raising allegations against the current Government in retaliation.

Complaints

According to police sources, the Financial Crime Investigation Department (FCID) have received a number of complaints against frauds committed by politicians and government officials prior to January 8, yet action can be taken only against the complaints containing substantial evidence.

“According to the Police, after going through the complaints, and in some cases, even after questioning government officials to find out whether such malpractices have really taken place, we will start investigations,” sources said.

The details of the allegations are not levelled at individuals but to explain the level of corruption that shattered the country in the past couple of years.

Never in the history of Sri Lanka has there been such drama created by a list of fraudulent financial transactions making the newly established investigating units the bussiest offices in the country - specially with regard to the Financial Criminal Investigations Division of the Police and the Presidential Commission of Inquiry to Investigate and Inquire into Serious Acts of Fraud, Corruption and Abuse of Power, State Resources, and Privileges.

The new establishments has become the new ‘fourth floor,’ taking criminals or the wrong doers to task.