UNF's acts of corruption : An Asian Tribune report

The following was condensed from a report compiled by the research team of Asian Tribune, the Internet newspaper on acts of corruption during the previous UNF Government.

Colombo, (Asiantribune.com): All regimes in Sri Lanka have been accused of lying, being deceptive and corrupt. Ranil Wickremesinghe's claim, however, is that he is "Mr. Clean". He likes to bask in this image and the pro-UNP media in the private sector tends to promote this image. But Transparency International has placed Sri Lanka way below the cleanest nation, Iceland. It was placed as No:1 and Sri Lanka is near the bottom ranked as 82.

At what point on the Transparency International scale does Ranil Wickremesinghe stand? Corruption comes in many forms. Normally it is associated with bribes. But corruption extends to abuse of power to gain sexual favours, gain advantages to your relatives and friends, lying and deceiving the nation to gain or remain in power, betraying the overall interest of the nation to protect self-interest of those in power, excessive use of power to suppress and oppress opponents, associating with criminal elements etc.

1. Associating with criminals :

Gonawila Sunil was a well-known underworld character who was sentenced to jail for raping when J. R. Jayewardene was President. Sunil was from Ranil Wickremesinghe's electorate, Biyagama. After serving a few months in jail he was pardoned by JR. Straight from jail he moves in Wickremesinghe's Ministry of Education. Sunil becomes the king pin in the Ministry fixing transfers, appointing teachers and even cocking up his legs on the table of the Minister. In the meantime, Batalanda, also in Wickremesinghe's electorate, gains notoriety for various crimes. Sunil's name is associated with these crimes. He acts with impunity.

He becomes an embarrassment. One fine day he is gunned down. End of the story of Gonawila Sunil. Incidentally, it must be noted that Transparency International has given only a score of 3.2 to transparency in Sri Lanka.

2. Anti-bribery body paralysed under Ranil's regime

The commission to investigate allegations of bribery and corruption was unable to function due to the lack of a commissioner.

UNP Parliamentarian Abdul Cader was taken into custody by the Police Special Investigations Unit on August 10, 2004 on an allegation that he forwarded a letter to former Samurdhi Minister S. B. Dissanayake requesting payment from the Samurdhi Social Development Trust Fund for Rs. one million to provide 690 bags of samba rice for distribution at Mosques and a cheque had been forwarded to Mahajana Stores, Gampola.

James W. Robertson who was former Prime Minister's Senior Economic Advisor was paid 214,000 US dollars per year which amounted to Rs. 1,836,833 monthly.

While these foreign advisors received salaries and allowances for in excess of what they could earn in their own countries, they received other perks as well including super vehicles, luxury apartment facilities and VIP air tickets to visit their home countries seven to eight times per year. Apart from these foreigners Rohan Samarajeewa who functioned as Director General of the

Telecommunication Regulatory Commission during the PA Government was appointed as advisor to the Prime Minister and he was paid 298,000 US dollars per year. (Rs. 2,557,833 per month) in addition to other allowances and facilities.

Apart from this Lakshman Siriwardena was paid an annual salary of Rs. 4.8 million, Harsha de Silva an annual salary of Rs. 2.6 million, Ms. Sarasalie Fonseka an annual salary of Rs. 3.84 million and A.A. Seneviratne an annual salary of Rs. 2.76 million while all other advisors had been paid monthly salaries in excess of Rs. 100,000. The salaries and allowances paid to former Prime Minister's other friends like R. Paskaralingam are not included in this list.

Although the UNP which has got into a frenzy in the face of the people friendly program of work implemented by the UPFA Government was highlighting matters in an exaggerated manner to hide its own past misdemeanours it should be pointed out that the people through their verdict at the General Elections had clearly shown that they had not forgotten the past.

A large slice of the US$ 18 million received as World Bank aid during the latter part of the PA government had been utilized to pay the salaries and allowances of former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe's Foreign Consultants and local Consultants.

From this aid 7.97 million US dollars (Rs. 820 million) had been utilised to pay salaries and allowances to Prime Minister's advisors and 112 advisory organizations during a year.

This money had been spent on the salaries and allowances of advisors appointed to the Policy Planning and Implementation Ministry which functioned under the Prime Minister by stating that it had been allocated for Public Sector Reforms implemented under the Ministry of Economic Reform, Science and Technology.

Foreigners were conspicuous among the former Prime Minister's advisors. John Earl who was brought down by Ranil Wickremesinghe for publicity work during the 1999 Presidential Election was later named as consultant to the unit set up to develop a master plan for Strategic Communication and paid 239,280 US dollars per year.

Accordingly his monthly pay was 19,940 US dollars or Rs. 2,053,820. It is a common secret that Earl's main function was to select the former Prime Minister's clothing and provide him speech training and strategies to create dissension in opposition ranks.

Apart from this A. G. Cuthbertson who was appointed on advisor for strengthening Government capacity was paid 227,625 US dollars per year which amounted to Rs. 1,953,781 monthly. Other two advisors Trent J. Bertrand and Thomas Maxwell were paid 232,625 US dollars each per year which amounted to Rs. 1,996,697 monthly each. (Daily News - Oct 22, 2004)

taken to courts by the People's Bank for not paying back billions borrowed from the Bank. The Daily News reported: "Banking sources made the shocking disclosure that the People's Bank was in the process of settling a massive Rs. 4.8 billion debt owed it by Yasodha Group for little as Rs. 10 million.

They said that the original sum owed the People's Bank was Rs. 4 billion and another Rs. 800 million accrued as interest on the loan."

While the case was in the courts R. Paskaralingam appointed Dr. Wickrema Weerasooriya, as the arbitrator to settle the dispute between the People's Bank and Yasasiri Kasthuriarachchi.

Dr. Wickrema Weerasooriya declared that the outstanding loan amount is Rs. 100 million and not Rs. 4.5 billion. The ruling of Dr. Wickrema Weerasooriya: Yasasiri Kasthuriarachchi to pay back Rs. 10 million out of the Rs. 100 million owed to the bank, according to the arithmetic of Dr.Weerasooriya.

Later, at a press conference, Yasasiri Kasturiarachchi admitted that there were certain discrepancies in accounts he furnished and that those errors occurred because the Inland Revenue Department had retained his files at the time of furnishing particulars. But he denied owing the bank the amount of money claimed.

At this stage President Chandrika Kumaratunga stepped in and asked the Bank to initiate an inquiry into the ruling of Dr. Weerasooriya. In a press statement she warned the Chairman of People Bank not to interfere with the judicial process which was inquiring into the monies owed to the Bank and not to settle the debt on a unjustifiable assessment. She added: "It is extremely unfair for a State Bank to extend privileges to an individual, however politically powerful he may be which are denied to others, less influential. I consider such patronage to be a travesty of justice."

"Following this President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga has severely warned People's Bank Chairman Lal Nanayakkara on any unjustifiable settlement with the Yasodha Group in respect of recovery of facilities granted to them, the Presidential Secretariat said.

In a letter dated January 29, 2004, the President says, any step taken by the Bank which lacks transparency will be subject to a special inquiry and dealt with severely.

The President has informed the Chairman People's Bank that it is in his best interest to adhere strictly to legal process through the Court of Law, the Presidential Secretariat said. Sons of Ranil's two key ministers - S. B. Dissanayake and Mahinda Wijesekera - run amok. The incident occurred outside Cascade, adjoining Colombo Plaza hotel on Friday night. The two sons of Minister S.B. Dissanayake - Narada and Taraka - and a son of Minister Mahinda Wijesekara - Kishana - were involved in the incident in which the relatives and friends of Minister Kabeer Hasheem were attacked and injured, two of them seriously. The injured were being treated at a private hospital in Colombo. Charlie Mahendran reprimanded for siding with the US Sri Lanka's Ambassador to the United Nations, Charlie Mahendran, (a UNP Working Committee member,) has been reprimanded by the government for not voting against a United States resolution condemning human rights violations in Iran. Mahendran was not present during the voting. Sri Lanka, which has had close economic and political relations with Iran, has voted against such resolutions on several occasions before. The foreign ministry has not only asked for an explanation from Mahendran for violating government instructions but also asked him to reverse the voting when the issue comes up before the General Assembly. Ministers try to hush up probe into tea racket The busting of a major racket in the exports of sub-standard SriLankan teas to middle eastern countries appears to have angered some politicians. The mastermind behind the racket is believed to be a close associate of a UNF politician. The politician in a meeting with a Cabinet colleague, also representing the Kandy district, expressed serious concern over continuing police raids, informed sources said. "They wanted an immediate end to police action," the sources said, claiming the racketeers were close to politicians. Thilanga Sumathipala graduates from remand jail to be Ranil's organizer of Anuradhapura The saga of 42-year-old Thilanga Sumathipala, one time head of Telecom, Cricket Board and his family bookie, hit international headlines, when the Attorney-General issued on November 27, 2003. The London Daily Telegraph wrote: "The charge, under the Immigration and Emigration Act, was that he had assisted Dammika Amarasinghe to travel to England under a false passport to watch the 1999 World Cup. Amarasinghe was being prosecuted for a series of contract killings and attempted assassinations when he was shot dead on Friday. On the same evening of Nov 27 police visited Sumathipala's house in Colombo but could not find him. The president of the Sri Lankan Board was not seen in public again until Dec 8, when he was discharged by an acting magistrate. It so happened that it was a Poya Day, or Buddhist holy day, and the prosecution was not present. A group of lawyers objected and signed a petition to the Chief Justice charging Sumathipala's lawyers - one of them, Ananda Wijesekera, the president of the Sri Lanka Bar Association - with gross misconduct. On Dec 10 a magistrate's court overturned the discharge and issued Sumathipala with a summons. On Jan 1 the CID obtained a warrant to search the cricket board's headquarters for evidence. On Jan 8, Sumathipala failed to appear in court: his lawyers claimed that he was too ill and had been admitted to the Apollo hospital in Colombo. The judge, T B Boyagama, ordered that he be examined by a judicial medical officer who was to report back tomorrow. The judge also called for Amarasinghe to be brought before the court tomorrow. On Friday morning Amarasinghe was shot dead while attending another trial in the Colombo courts. The gunman, wearing a lawyer's robes, pulled out a pistol from his socks; two others were injured. He was found to be an army deserter who had a brother, Bogama Sanjeeva that Amarasinghe was accused of killing." Commenting on these bizarre happening the Sunday Leader editorialized (January 25, 2004): "The nation has seen enough of this cat and mouse game. It is time not just Sumathipala, but all those who have been aiding and abetting him - lawyers, doctors, magistrates, Sri Lanka Cricket officials and politicians - were exposed and brought to book. Sri Lanka has no room, especially in public life and certainly not in sport, for men such as Sumathipala. The writing is on the wall also for Sports Minister Johnston Fernando, well known to be a close associate of the Bookie: unless he seeks Sumathipala's removal, and right quickly, it is more than likely that he too, will be dragged down like the others. The net is drawing closer around this fraudster, and any big fish near him are likely to be swept up in it." Leader also reported: "Meanwhile there is yet another power base operating from a house down Ward Place working round the clock to help save Sumathipala. The campaign manageress of this exercise is an intimate associate of the Prime Minister (Ranil Wickremesinghe's) Private Secretary, Sudath Chandrasekhar, who too resides at the same house and whose medical needs for example are attended to by this 'busy body,' as identified at Temple Trees."

Wickremesinghe appointed him as the UNP's Anuradhapura organiser.