VAT suspect further remanded

Sandasen MARASINGHE

Colombo High Court Judge Sunil Rajapakse on Wednesday remanded a witness in the VAT fraud case of Rs. 4,000 million, for perjury.

High Court Judge remanded Mohammed Nirshak of Kandy for giving false evidence when the case was taken up for hearing. The Court had on an earlier occasion warned the witness not to give false evidence.

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

According to the evidence the crime was committed by the 12 businessmen with support of two officers by producing forge documents to the Inland Revenue Department. According to the prevailing regulations the exporters were freed from VAT. The twelve businessmen have refunded the above sum of money by procuring fake documents.

The Attorney General filed indictment 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 twelveth suspects as they were absconding the Court. The other six were served with indictments and pleaded not guilty.

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.

Deputy Solicitor General Buwaneka Aluvihare, Senior State Counsel Gihan Kulathunga and Senior State Counsel Shanil Kularatne appeared for the prosecution.

The case was put off for June 26.