AG indicts former MP Sajin de Vaas over money laundering

The Attorney General (AG) has indicted former parliamentarian Sajin de Vass Gunawardena for suspiciously acquiring funds worth more than Rs 300 million during his tenure as parliamentarian.

Charges have been filed under Section 3 (1) (a) of the Money Laundering Act at the Colombo High Court.

AG Dappula De Livera had accused the parliamentarian over his failure to clarify the means through which he had acquired a large amount of wealth although both he and his wife had admitted that they did not have the means do so.

Inquiries by the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) have shown that Mr. Gunawardena had owned a conglomerate of 21 companies when he had applied as a candidate for the 2010 general election, the AG said.

According to the AG, the accused had managed the conglomerate directly, although he had resigned as a director and transferred his business shares to his wife after being appointed as a member of parliament.

The prosecutor added that the accused had transferred Rs 458.74 million worth deposits from the bank account of the conglomerate to another business account although he had not been a director at the time of the transfer.

De Livera, citing the CID’s investigation, claimed that Gunawardena had engaged in suspicious transactions with seven companies under this conglomerate, with a majority of them taking place during his tenure as parliamentarian.

The prosecutor said that the total remaining deposits of the accused including the money he is alleged to have acquired suspiciously stands at Rs 306.26 million.