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| Thursday, 17 June 2004 |
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Politics | |
| News Business Features Editorial Security Politics World Letters Sports Obituaries
| Lands Minister orders full probe into GL's alleged land grab
National Television Rupavahini in its news bulletin on Tuesday night stated that the former Minister had acquired a 27 acre estate owned by the LRC for Rs.164,500. Accordingly an acre of land has cost only Rs.6,092 and a perch, Rs.38. However, Minister Dissanayake regretted that previous Governments failed to take any steps regarding this allegedly illegal land deal during the past seven years although the JVP disclosed the information. The Minister said he will also direct officials to find out whether other politicians have vested Government owned lands in themselves or their families. He also requested the public to provide information on such land deals. Confidentiality will be maintained. The SLRC in its news broadcast said that the purchase has completely violated clause 22 (1) A of the Land Reform Act. It said a person named Perera of Maththegoda, Kirigampamunuwa has vested his 999 acre "Maththegoda estate" in the LRC. This land owner has vested this land in the LRC. He did not want it to be acquired by any politicians. It is questioned whether the then Head of the LRC did not know Prof. Peiris had violated Act No.48 clause 22 (1) A of the Lands Reform Act or whether Prof. Peiris has misled LRC officials to vest this land, the SLRC broadcast states. When Prof. Peiris worked at the Colombo University in 1983, he had made a request from the LRC to vest this land in the name of his wife, it added. However, with the assistance of the then UNP Government, this land was vested in his wife through No.48 sale deed of Notary Public K.R.Peiris on 23-05-1984, the news stated. Meanwhile, Prof. Peiris through No.366 certificate of Notary Public C.A.Fernando has vested the land in himself in September 1985. He has thus taken over the entire ownership of the land, the report added. It also states that Prof. Peiris has vested five acres one rood and 38 perches from this 27 acre land to a private firm on November 1, 1990 through No. 2110 deed certified by Notary Public J.A. Jayamanne. Prof. Peiris has sold each perch to this company at Rs.6092.50. He has obtained a net profit of Rs.1,913,998 from this deal, the SLRC news stated. It is noted that Prof. Peiris's land deal was bereft of any transparency. According to the law, a citizen has no right to vest even an inch of a Government owned land in himself. Under the No.1 land law of the 1972 Land Reforms Act, Government servants cannot vest any land that belongs to LRC. He can only obtain a land to construct a house. Therefore Prof. Peiris has fraudulently vested this 27 acre land in violation of the LRC Act, the news bulletin added. |
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Produced by Lake House |
Agriculture and Lands Minister Anura Kumara Dissanayake yesterday told
the Daily News that he had ordered a full-scale inquiry into an alleged
illegal land transaction by former minister Prof. G.L. Peiris where he had
acquired a 27 acre estate owned by the Land Reform Commission (LRC) at
Maththegoda for just Rs.164,500.
