VAT suspects further remanded
Sarath Malalasekera
COLOMBO: The six suspects in the massive VAT scam at the Inland
Revenue Department were further remanded till August 2 by the Colombo
Fort Magistrate and Additional District Judge Namal Bandara Balalle.
Earlier, the Criminal Investigation Department probing the VAT scam
told court that they are looking for nine more suspects who are alleged
to have been involved in the VAT scam.
The CID told court that they are making arrangements to obtain the
assistance of the Interpol in connection with the suspects who had left
the country and now living abroad.
The suspects are Gnanasiri Soysa Jayatilleke, Senior officer attached
to the Inland Revenue Department, Colombo businessman Sinnaiah
Subramanaiam, Mohamed Hussain, Mohamed Milshan, W. Ambepitiya of the
Inland Revenue Department and leading businessman Ashrof Hadjir.
The CID commenced investigations on a complaint by the Inland Revenue
Department based on a report submitted to the Inland Revenue Department
by the Auditor-General in connection with a criminal misappropriation of
Rs. 35,772,868 the money accruing from VAT.
The CID told court that they have perused the forged documents
forwarded to the Inland Revenue Department to release the VAT money from
the department. Investigations also revealed that the senior officer of
the Inland Revenue Department had authorised the VAT money to be
released to the businessmen without perusing the relevant documents.
The money had been obtained from the Inland Revenue Department on
several forged national identity cards. Twenty NIC's have been submitted
to the Inland Revenue Department but 19 of them were forged, the
investigators said.
President's Counsel M. L. M. Ameen, President's Counsel Mohan Peiris,
Kalinga Indatissa, Shanaka Ransinghe, K. V. Thavarasa, Nishada Gamage,
M. Biswa, Shiraz Noordeen and Prasanna Weerasekera appeared for the
suspects.
|