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Top-level team going to Ukraine for full probe on Weeratunga’s activities
View(s):A top-level team including Police and Government officials will visit Ukraine to probe the activities of Udayanga Weeratunga, Sri Lanka’s former Ambassador to Russia.
The team’s main thrust will be to obtain more details of the Ukrainian Government complaint that Mr. Weeratunga supplied weapons to pro-Russian rebels who were fighting in that country though a ceasefire is now in place.
Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera will discuss tomorrow matters relating to this with Oleksander Shivchenko, the Ukrainian Ambassador to India. He is concurrently accredited to Sri Lanka. The Foreign Ministry has extended an invitation from Minister Samaraweera for the envoy to visit Colombo. A Government source said yesterday Mr. Samaraweera would ask the envoy for the Ukrainian Government’s assistance for the visit by the investigation team.
The Sunday Times (Political Commentary) of March 29 revealed how the Ukrainian Embassy in New Delhi handed to the Sri Lanka High Commission there a Third Person Note (TPN) dated November 19 last year. In that the Ukrainian Government complained of how Mr. Weeratunga had handed over weapons to Ukrainian rebels. The embassy provided a list of those weapons and the names of persons to whom they had been given.
Investigators who are to visit the Ukrainian capital of Kiev are to ascertain how Mr. Weeratunga, who operated a restaurant serving Sri Lankan food before being named by former President Mahinda Rajapaksa as Ambassador to Russia, obtained the weapons. His is the first cousin of Mr. Rajapaksa.
Since the Ukranian Government has produced evidence that Mr. Weeratunga had ordered the weapons, the investigators will also try to ascertain who issued the End User Certificate (EUC) — a document that is essential when procuring weapons from another country. No weapons are sold unless the ordering Government or their representative produces an EUC which certifies who the ultimate user is.
The investigation team is also to probe two other aspects. One relates to the procurement of MiG-27 fighter jets for the Sri Lanka Air Force – a deal brokered entirely by Mr. Weeratunga. An investigation into this controversial procurement is now being carried out by the Financial Crimes Investigation Division (FCID).
FCID detectives will also this week seek the assistance of Britain’s Serious Frauds Office (FCO) to ascertain whether a firm named Bellimissa Holdings Ltd. existed or exists in Britain. A team from the FCO is expected to arrive in Colombo this week. Though touted as a Government-to-Government deal, this unknown firm was the recipient of more than US$ 14.6 million for four MiG-27 fighter jets, freight charges and related matters. No company profile, board of directors or other details of the firm are available. The address given for the company — 2nd Floor, 145-157 St John Street, London EC1V4PY — is said to be non- existent.
FCID detectives are to summon Air Chief Marshal Roshan Goonetileke once again for questioning. The former Air Force Commander, who signed the purchase contract and took delivery of the fighter jets, was earlier questioned for nine and half hours. Another matter under investigation over Mr. Weeratunga is the death of a one-time employee, Noel Ranaweera. He had been recruited by the former envoy to Russia to work in his restaurant and later employed as translator at the Sri Lanka Embassy in Moscow. He reportedly died in an accident in Moscow. His body was flown to Colombo and was buried in the Attanagalla area. The body was exhumed and a magisterial inquiry is pending after his family alleged foul play.