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| Tuesday, 10 August 2004 |
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Colombo Chief Magistrate and Additional District Judge Kusala Sarojani Weerawardana yesterday restrained the Former Secretary to the Ministry of Samurdhi Dr. Kumari Nawaratne from leaving the country. She was allegedly involved in the misappropriation of Rs. one million belonging to the Samurdhi Society Development Fund, which she claimed to have released to purchase a consignment of rice to be distributed among mosques during the Ramazan season on the request made by the Former Co-operative Minister A. R. M. Adbul Cader. The Chief Magistrate ordered the Controller of Immigration and Emigration and the Director of the Directorate of Intelligent to restrain Dr. Kumari Nawaratne from leaving the country. She also issued notice on Dr. Kumari Nawaratne to appear before Court on August 24, 2004. At the inquiry it was revealed that although the Former Minister Abdul Cader had named ten mosques, some mosques had not received rice while some received less than the stipulated amount of rice. The inquiry was initiated on July 18, 2004, on a complaint made by Panditha Sena Samarakoon of the Presidential Inquiry Unit. It was also found out that a sum of Rs. one million was issued in a voucher dated November 17, 2003 and by a letter to the Minister of Samurdhi S. B. Dissanayake, the then Minister of Co-operative Abdul Cader had informed that he had distributed bags of rice among some mosques at a cost of Rs. one million and requested the Samurdhi Minister to provide the said amount from the Samurdhi Fund. The inquiry further stated that a copy of the said letter together with a cheque to the value of Rs. one million issued by the Bank of Ceylon Torrington Branch in favour of Mahantha Stores in Gampola was found. However said bags of rice has not been issued and some mosques were not even aware of the distribution of rice among the mosques. IP Gunasekara submitted that he had recorded statements from the curators of the said ten mosques mentioned by Minister Cader. Though the mosques did not receive the bags of rice the Ministry of Samurdhi had paid for the consignment of rice. The Chief Magistrate also ordered the Manager of the Bank of Ceylon, Torrington Branch to testify regarding this transaction. |
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