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Probe on fax promising duty-free three-wheelers to varsity employees
The Council of the Peradeniya University which met yesterday called for an inquiry into the fax purported to have been sent by the Presidential Secretariat, Peradeniya University Vice Chancellor Athula Senaratne said. The fax said three-wheelers would be given away duty free to university employees after a sum of Rs. 25,000 was deposited at a named account of the People’s Bank in Kandy.
The Vice Chancellor said that before he went to Dubai for a conference he had received the letter purported to be from the Investigation Unit of the Presidential Secretariat. He, therefore, instructed that a list of those who were prepared to obtain these three-wheelers be made before he went abroad, leaving it to the administration to process the other requirements.
However, due to the eagerness of the employees who had come to know of this offer, they had on their own started depositing money to the credit of the account at the People’s Bank. Prof. Senaratne said no funds of the Peradeniya University had been involved and the greediness of the employees had resulted in this fiasco.
He said that while he was in Dubai he had come to know the employees were inquiring how they could deposit the money to own a three-wheeler.
Police inquiries are now being conducted. Prof. Senaratne said the Inspector General of Police has also been requested to expedite the inquiry.