• Customs officers want armed unit for their protection
• Big cricket scam foiled – minister 
• Pay first, power later
• VIP names mentioned in Thilan's rights case
• Tyronne seeks repeal of criminal defamation
• More the merrier: JPs galore

Customs officers want armed unit for their protection

By Chris Kamalendran

The Customs Officers Union in an appeal to Director General Lakshman Perera said such a unit was an urgent need because dependent on the police for security could lead to other problems, including leaks.

Meanwhile businessmen and Customs officers have been questioned by the special police team probing the killing of Customs Assistant Superintendent Sujith Perera near his Kiribathgoda residence last Saturday.

Senior Superintendent D.W. Prathapasinghe who took over investigations from the Peliyagoda Police told The Sunday Times the businessmen were linked to probes which the slain officer was conducting. He said no breakthrough had been made so far in tracing the contract killers or the person or party behind them.

Responding to the proposal for the setting up of armed customs unit as in India, Thailand and Hong Kong, Customs Chief Lakshman Perera said that for the time being they would provide regular arms training for investigators and seek police protection when necessary. 

See also page 4

Big cricket scam foiled – minister 

By Annesley Ferreira

The Minister who dissolved the board by gazette notification on Wednesday and set up an interim administration, confirmed reports that last minute efforts to withdraw money had been prevented.

He said the banks had stopped payments from the funds soon after the board was dissolved and the chairman of the new interim body would give further details in a statement to be issued soon.

Interim Committee member Asantha de Mel told The Sunday Times the last minute withdrawal bid involved about Rs. 120 million but he did not know in whose name the cheques had been written.

The Sunday Times learns that predated cheques had been presented to the Bank of Ceylon, Pan-Asia Bank and other banks, the day after the gazette notification was issued. One such cheque involved Rs. 42 million.

Legal sources said issuing or encashing cheques after the dissolution of the Cricket Board amounted to a criminal offence punishable by a fine or jail term and the police were likely to be called in for investigations.

The Sunday Times also learns that upto 15 Cricket Board files were removed just before the dissolution.

Ousted Cricket Board President, Thilanga Sumathipala yesterday denied last minute withdrawals of monies being made by the out going Board.

He said he had wealth of his own and did not take over the Cricket Board to make money but to do the best he could for the sport.

With additional reports by M.Ismeth, Hiranthi Fernando and Tania Fernando

Pay first, power later

By Shelani de Silva

The CEB is to fix a pre-paid card to electricity meters in these state institutions. The card will denote the sum paid by the institution and the electricity supply will cease once the card expires. 

CEB Additional General Manager K. Gnanalingam said state institutions owed the CEB more than Rs. 6,000 million rupees and the system of pre-paid cards would be enforced on them first.

With hospitals also owing big bills, the CEB has cracked the whip on them also saying that maintenance or repair work on electrical installations will not be done until an advance is paid.

Mr. Gnanalingam said the CEB was aware that most of the institutions had received the allocation from the Treasury but had not paid the bills.

VIP names mentioned in Thilan's rights case

The ex-BOI chief who himself is being implicated by an investor, Ranjith Athukorale for allegedly seeking a bribe to grant BOI approval for a flour mill project, has claimed that Mr. Athukorale had made "false and reprehensible" allegations not only against him but also against the President, Minister Samaraweera and Mr. Balapatabendi.

Mr. Wijesinghe claims in his fundamental rights petition to the Supreme Court that Mr. Athukorale had solicited US $ 2.5 million from another businessmen saying that the money had to be paid to Mr. Wijesinghe, in addition to Mr. Samaraweera, Mr. Balapatabendi and through him to the President.

However Mr. Wijesinghe said he believed it was a reprehensible fabrication made by Mr. Athukorale and was obviously engineered towards extracting monies from a foreign investor — Gold Coin Group — wanting to start a flour milling project in Sri Lanka.

He says that Asker Moosajee, local partners of the Gold Coin joint venture, had been startled when he was informed by Mr. Athukorale that a payment of US dollars 2.5 million should be made to him in order to meet his obligations and also part of the sum was allegedly to be paid to Mr. Samaraweera, the President's Secretary and through him to the President.

Mr. Wijesinghe claims that Mr. Athukorale had used his name in order to collect monies illegally.

Mr. Wijesinghe in his FR petition has cited the members of the Commission to investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption and the Director General of the Commission, Rienzie Arsecularatne.

In his petition he is praying for an assurance that he should not be arrested until the hearing of the FR application is concluded.

Earlier Mr. Wijesinghe was directed to appear in the Colombo Magistrate's courts for allegedly ignoring to respond to a request to appear before the Bribery Commission.

Mr. Wijesinghe in his FR petition says that Mr. Athukorale was originally introduced to him as a prospective investment promoter by Minister Samaraweera. He had later submitted an application for the approval of a flour mill project.

Subsequently President Kumaratunga had addressed a letter to late Minister M.H.M. Ashraff requesting him to allocate land for the flour mill project in the Port of Galle, he says. However, Mr. Wijesinghe claims that he later learned that Mr. Athukorale was involved in several malpractices and illegal transactions.

He claims that in a conversation with Mr. Moosajee he was made aware that Mr. Athukorale had been so unscrupulous as to most falsely and reprehensibly implicate him (Mr. Wijesinghe), Mr. Samaraweera, Mr. Balapatabendi and even the President.

Tyronne seeks repeal of criminal defamation

"I am all for defamation laws but let it be dealt with under the civil law," Mr. Fernando said speaking on the votes of the Ministry of Information and Media in Parliament on Friday.

He said most democratic countries had done away with enforcing criminal defamation laws and they were practised only in a few countries such as Uganda, Gambia, Ghana and Sierra Leone.

"I am not trying to justify defamation. You can extract all the damages you want but don't put journalists in jail," he appealed.

He said there were at least 17 cases of criminal defamation pending against editors of newspapers.

Media Minister Anura Priyadharshana Yapa said criminal defamation laws still existed in Britain, but Mr. Fernando said they were not enforced.

More the merrier: JPs galore

By Laila Nasry

This goes against the traditional practice of not making appointments during the interim period following the dissolution of Parliament. 

As indicated in the gazette the Minister approved these appointments from December 5 to 20 last year. 

Of the 2829 appointments, 1895 were Sinhalese, 275 Tamils, 390 Muslims and 263 were from the clergy. 

A total of 481 appointments were from the Colombo district. 

Return to Front Page Contents