VAT fraud case: Witnesses released on bail

Sandasen Marasinghe

Colombo High Court Judge Sunil Rajapakse yesterday released nine witnesses of the biggest ever VAT fraud case of the nearly Rs 4000 million fraud on Rs 5,00,000 personal bail when Deputy Solicitor General Buwaneka Aluvihare pleaded to release them on a bond since there was a possibility of them leaving the country.

The Court also ordered that those witnesses should take permission of the Court if they leave the country. The witnesses Mohammed Saji Mohammed Fasli, E. M. Nalin Edirisinghe D.G. Seelawansa Chandrasiri, M. Kumaran, J. Mohammed Vasheer Sithiya Bob Sahabdeen, M. Milton Ranjan Perera Mohammed Saleem Ahamed, P.G.Y. Mohamed Riyas appeared before Court yesterday.

Attorney General filed indictment before the Colombo High Court against two income tax officers and 12 businessmen in respect of the Rs 3,996 million massive VAT fraud.

Indictment was filed against retired Deputy Income tax Commissioner Gnanasiri de Soysa Jayatilake, Deputy Commissioner Ananda Wickramasinghe Ambepitiya, Rasheed Mohamed Murshid, Bakeer Mohamed Rias, Mohamed Subeire Fausul Amami, Maujul Ameer Irshad, Nagur Mohamed, Nasmi Mohamed Khamil Kuthubdeen, Abdul Mohamed Saheer, Sinnaiyah Subramanium, Salaudeen Ashroff Mohamed Khasim Safeek, Mohamed Ismail Risvin and Sahabdeen Abdullah.

The Case is heard in absentia of third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth and twelfth as they were absconding.

According to the charges they have misused the above sum of money with the support of Darmadasa Rajapaksage Nevil Shantha Wattaladeniya between November 15, 2002 and July 15, 2004. The indictments have been filed against the accused separately.

The case was put off for June 24.