News
Ex-NSB head to face charges on share deal
Charges would be filed on December 19 against former National Savings Bank (NSB) Chairman Pradeepa Kariyawasam on the alleged fraudulent share deal. Colombo Chief Magistrate Gihan Pilapitiya overruling preliminary objections by senior counsel Saliya Pieris fixed the dates for December 19, to file the charges after the conclusion of the preliminary inquiry into the alleged The Finance Company share deal.
The Chief Magistrate held that the Attorney General could prosecute the case against Mr. Kariyawasam. Senior Counsel Saliya Pieris appearing with a group of lawyers for Mr. Kariyawasam, raising preliminary objections said a lawyer from the Attorney General’s Department did not have a right to appear for the Bribery Commission because the Commission is an independent entity.
The intention of Parliament was to set up an independent body and if a lawyer from the Attorney General’s Department appeared it could defeat the intention of Parliament, Counsel Pieris argued.
Senior State Counsel Thusith Mudalige, however, argued that the Bribery Act has totally excluded the Attorney General from appearing for the Commission. He argued that only a lawyer representing the Bribery Commission could do so. Therefore, he could appear for the Bribery Commission, he told court.
The Bribery Commission filed the case in the Colombo Chief Magistrate’s Court alleging Mr. Kariyawasam has committed an offence by making use of the office of NSB Chairman to purchase some 7,863,362 The Finance Company shares incurring a huge loss to the Government.
Mr. U.L.A.D. Kithsiri Perera, an executive officer of NSB said that the due to the share deal the State lost around 390 million rupees. Mr. Kariyawasam is the husband of impeached Chief Justice 43 Shirani Bandaranayake
Mr. Saliya Pieris with Messrs. K.V. Thavarasha, Gunaratna Wanninayake, Upul Kumarapperuma, U.L.G. Bandara, Mervin Silva, Dharmathilaka Gamage, Bandara Ekanayake, Sumith Silva and Thisara Chamara appeared for Mr. Kariyawasam
The case is to be heard on December 19.