NGO head not quite straight?

Norwegian non governmental organisation FORUT head Terje Heggerne’s assertion last week that his wife had not been working here illegally and that was the reason their passports, which were earlier seized by the Immigration and Emigration Department, later released, might have been economical with the truth.

Immigration Controller P.B. Abeykoon once again maintained that the passports were released only after the Norwegian Embassy in Colombo gave an assurance that Mr. Heggerne, who had to visit Oslo for an urgent meeting would return and make himself available.

Mr. Abeykoon said his officers were in the process of getting some evidence in their possession in relation to this case verified by the relevant Government department. Though Mr. Heggerne had denied his wife was working here after arriving on a dependence visa, the inquiry relates to whether she had in fact drawn a salary of Rs. 280,000 a month from the organization and had in fact paid PAYE tax to the Inland Revenue Department on those earnings.

It is also learnt that the investigation had been launched on a petition received by the President’s Office that she was attending to work of FORUT’s Nepal office from Colombo.