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Dr. Gamani Corea's movements restricted?
A police investigation has just been launched backed by an opinion from the Attorney General to ascertain whether one of Sri Lanka's best-known economists, former UNCTAD Secretary General and current Chairman of the Geneva based The South Centre, a third world think-tank, Dr. Gamani Corea is under "wrongful confinement".

The probe comes in the wake of some of Dr. Corea's friends led by Chairman - Emeritus Marga Institute Godfrey Gunatilleke and several others making a string of complaints to the Cinnamon Gardens Police that the 77-year-old bachelor is being prevented from meeting his friends at his Horton Place residence where private security guards maintain a register of visitors.

The saga revolves around a general power-of-attorney signed by Dr. Corea to a cousin of his and the launching of a Gamani Corea Foundation aimed at promoting economic research, as well as Dr. Corea's own health.

The Foundation has been created with Dr. Corea as chairman and includes Mr. Gunatilleke, Dr. Nimal Sandaratne, Priya Amarasinghe, Dr. Harsha Aturupana and Dr. Llyod Fernando, but Rs. 10 million requested from Dr. Corea's own funds to inaugurate the Foundation has not been forthcoming from Lalith Kotelawela, Chairman of Ceylinco Group who holds the power-of-attorney for Dr. Corea.

Mr. Kotelawela maintains that he is only concerned about Dr. Corea's well-being and claims that nobody bothered about what he insists is his cousin's deteriorating health, until he stepped in.

As charges and counter-charges continue to be traded between the Foundation members and Mr. Kotelawela, the matter has now reached President Chandrika Kumaratunga who has also initiated inquiries into the happenings

Meanwhile, Foreign Office Secretary Nihal Rodrigo is making arrangements for Dr. Corea to visit Geneva for a felicitation ceremony planned for him by the United Nations, but there seems to be a problem here too regarding the release of Dr. Corea's funds for the trip.

In one of the incidents, former cabinet minister Srimanie Athulathmudali, who had worked with Dr. Corea in Geneva, had been prevented from taking him for lunch to her residence.

Ms. Athulathmudali had brushed aside the private security guards and taken Dr. Corea for lunch only to be cautioned the next day by a telephone call from Mr. Kotelawela who insisted that his cousin needed rest. Dr. Corea’s assets are estimated at Rs. 500 million.

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