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Sri Lanka-born British entrepreneur, Allirajah Subaskaran, was in the news in recent years for alleged corruption and tax evasion charges in the United Kingdom. But his investments both in India and Sri Lanka are diverse, ranging from producing multi-billion dollar South Indian films to sports.

Hailing from the North and migrating to the UK at a young age during the wartime and considering his attachment to his one-time home, he bought the Jaffna Stallions of the Lanka Premier League (LPL) last year.

A 2018 investigation by Buzzfeed news detailed how the British government, which used to take moral grounds and profess other developing countries like Sri Lanka on rule of law, transparency and accountability in governance, refused to assist a French investigation into suspected money laundering and tax fraud by the Subaskaran’s telecom empire Lycamobile–citing the fact that the company is the “biggest corporate donor to the Conservative party” and gives money to a trust founded by King Charles.

Mr Subaskaran was in Colombo recently after his short trip to Chennai to sign two movies–a multi-billion rupee deal with South Indian Superstar Rajinikanth.

During his brief trip to Colombo, he met President Ranil Wickremesinghe and discussed several things, including potential investments in the country. Thereafter, he met a group of Tamil prisoners, who were given a Presidential pardon recently, after languishing in jail for years under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) and hosted them for dinner at a five-star hotel.

He did not stop there, he even gave them each a substantial amount of cash to help them restart their lives. The talk in the Tamil diaspora circles these days is that the “Lyca man” was influential in securing the release of Tamil prisoners.

Officials in a dilemma over whether parallel government is in operation

Some officials have been surprised by a letter they received from the Opposition Leader’s office this week.

The letter said they were being invited for a meeting with Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa at the Opposition Leader’s office at Sir Marcus Fernando Mawatha in Colombo 7, tomorrow morning.  

The purpose is supposed to be to obtain proposals and ideas on national reforms which a secretariat set up at the Opposition Leader’s office was preparing.

The letter said the secretariat hopes to launch reforms required by the people, each week in different sectors. The Monday meeting has been arranged to discuss proposals for national and traditional industries.

The officials are in a quandary over attending the meeting and whether a parallel government was in operation and attempts were being made to overshadow the Parliamentary oversight committees.

Cost cutting at the President’s office: Ratnapriya forced to give plain tea

Saman Ratnapriya, Trade Union Director General at the President’s office, has also been hit by the slashing
of expenses at the
President’s office.

Mr Ratnapriya told a recent media conference, the President’s office can now only offer a milk-less or plain tea to visitors.

He said he has been forced to reimburse some money spent on entertaining trade union representatives who took part in meetings, by
providing them biscuits and short-eats.

After his Sri Lankan Tempest, Gladstone now faces legal battle over Buckinghamshire mansion

Former envoy Gladstone’s mansion in Buckinghamshire

Some three decades after David Gladstone was expelled after being declared persona non grata by the Ranasinghe Premadasa government which thought he was too nosy about Sri Lanka’s elections, the multi-millionaire retired envoy is once again making news. This time over a legal fight with his surrogate daughter who claims she is the rightful heiress to his mansion and £20million estate.

The British newspaper Daily Mail reported this week that David Gladstone, former Sri Lankan high commissioner, and the man who opened the first British embassy in Ukraine, claims lawyer Leigh White is squatting in his £15million Grade 1-listed family mansion in Buckinghamshire and refusing to leave.

The once close family friend, who moved into the mansion in 2017, after Mr Gladstone was knocked sideways by the death of his son, insists she has a right to stay at Wotton House, near Aylesbury, because she was promised it would be hers on his death as successor and heiress to his £20million
fortune.

But Mr Gladstone, 87, who is living in Cumbria after moving north to shield himself from Covid-19, is now suing to force her out of the stately home, saying he is desperate to spend his final years there.

David Gladstone

Leigh White

However, Ms White, 55, is counter-suing at the High Court. She is refusing to move out of the house–where she is living with her family– and claiming frail pensioner Mr Gladstone must have forgotten earlier promises that she would inherit the sprawling property when he dies.

The court heard that Wotton House, which dates back to 1714 and boasts famous neighbours Tony and Cherie Blair who live on the estate, was originally bought by Mr Gladstone’s first wife April’s family in the 1950s, but he inherited it following her death in 2014.

Mr. Gladstone was expelled from Sri Lanka in 1991 by then President Ranasinghe Premadasa who accused him of interfering in Sri Lanka’s internal affairs when the envoy publicly expressed concerns over the legitimacy of the local government elections held that year and visited a polling booth on election day.

After his retirement from the Foreign Service, he wrote a book to tell his side of the story. The book was titled ‘A Sri Lankan Tempest – A Real Life Drama in Five Acts’.

Drunk merry makers turn weekend train to Jaffna into mobile bar

Train travel to Jaffna has become popular. During last week’s long weekend–Saturday, Sunday and poya day–the first class compartment was full.

Most passengers, however, were in for some bad moments. Groups armed with guitars, drums and other musical instruments created a din. Entertainment, one might say, is in order.

But the merry makers had taken the area where there were couplings. The reason–their songs were accompanied by gulping bottles of arrack. Who said drinking in public places was prohibited?

There were neither security guards nor Police officers. So the revellers had a whale of a time emptying bottle after bottle of arrack. Other passengers had to grin and bear it.

Cabraal in controversy again; publishes book about economic bankruptcy

Former Central Bank Governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal has released a book on the country’s economic crisis. The book, written in Sinhala, is titled “Arthika Ghathakayan Meda” (Amidst Economic Hit-men) and it is priced at Rs. 2500.

Mr Cabraal claims in the book that declaring bankruptcy was “the greatest betrayal in Sri Lanka’s post-Independence history,” and alleges it was part of a vast conspiracy to make Sri Lanka “fall to its knees before the international community.”

He also claims that he is currently in the dock for the offence of not making Sri Lanka go bankrupt.

Advertising the book on his official Facebook page, Mr Cabraal said it was also available via postal delivery.

The former Central Bank Governor is currently out on bail over a private complaint filed naming him as being responsible for the prevailing economic crisis. The Colombo Chief Magistrate’s Court recently extended a travel ban imposed on Mr. Cabraal till November 24.

Facebook users meanwhile, have not been kind to Mr Cabraal’s book. The vast majority of comments under his post advertising his new book are negative, with many accusing him of being an economic hit-man himself. Others have asked Mr Cabraal whether this was his autobiography or a confession to court.

Separately, a leading bookstore had to pull a post advertising the former Central Bank Governor’s book from its Facebook page after a flood of negative comments by users.

Zoological authorities in a den over expenses for bus rides to safari park

State institutions and departments have been forced to prune down their expenditure in view of the current economic crisis.

Some of the solutions found raises the question as to why these plans were not introduced earlier so that institutions could have managed with lower budgets.

One such incident comes from the National Zoological Gardens Department.

The department in a report has explained how it has halted a tender given to a private party to operate a bus service for visitors to the Ridiyagama Safari park and thereby saved a possible expenditure of Rs 31.8 million.

The figure quoted for the new tender has been a massive increase as previously only Rs 375,410 was charged each month from a bus. However, now the tender has been halted.

The solution found by the department has been to make use of two buses from the Forestry Institute and three vans from the Zoological Department.

If the officials acted earlier they would have made savings since 2019 as the tender has been offered to a private party since then.