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CID probes missing jumbo book issue, improper ownership of elephants
The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has opened investigations into the alleged abuses regarding the disappearance of an elephant record book and the issue of illegal possession of elephants without proper registration papers.
The CID recorded statements of several officers including Wild Life Director General H.D. Rathnayake.
Some statements were recorded last week as well while the Director General was called to the CID last Friday.
Mr. Rathnayake said that he was called to the CID to obtain background information required for the investigation.
He said he had explained the procedures followed taking two to three hours to do so.
The director said his predecessors had done wrong but he had to take the blame.
“Everything would be revealed after the investigations are over,” he said.
He said the CID also recorded the statement of lawyer Lalith Kumara who did the investigations on the loss of the elephant book.
The elephant book became a controversial topic after it was misplaced. The lost elephant book was one of seven registration books and it was replaced with another book. Meanwhile a huge book that the Wild Life Director calls the ‘elephant log book’ which also contained details of the elephants had been found tampered with.
Finally Tourism and Sports Deputy Minister Wasantha Senanayake had given the eight books to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).
A reliable source said an official of the Department who had recently checked legal files following an elephant raid had found that information in the log book was also controversial due to erasing of information, pasting papers over previous entries, switching photos and changing dates of deaths of elephants. The CID investigation was started after a Wild Life official complained to the CID on the instructions of Deputy Minister Senanayake who wanted an independent investigation.
A wild life source said that the elephant register is a collection of eight books and not a series of books in chronological order. He claimed the seven small books are not movement registers even though the Wildlife Director General claims they are.
He alleged that the present Wildlife Director General is misleading the Minister as well as the media and said the official must be suspended or removed from his post.
He said officials would step in and reveal information of the corruption if the officials against whom there are allegations are not in power.
A wildlife source said that the missing book had important details of payments, grama niladhari certificates as well as medical reports of the elephants and the Director General’s signature.