Golden Key depositors speak out:

CJ MUTE ON VANISHED FILE

*Said Registrar ‘could do nothing’ about it

*Case was used as a means of amassing wealth

Chamikara WEERASINGHE

Chief Justice Dr Shirani Bandaranayaka refrained from taking action against the disappearance of a special investigative report on the Golden Key Credit fiasco, which was prepared by the Special Investigations Unit of the Central Bank, five office bearers of Golden Credit All Depositors’ Association revealed yesterday at a press conference at the Sri Lanka Foundationb Institute.

The report had been kept in the Supreme Court Registrar’s safe on the advice of former Chief Justice Sarath N Silva, who said that it contained important evidence, said GCC All Depositors’ Association President Dushanthi Hapugoda.

Hapugoda said , this was a report they submitted to the Supreme Court as evidence against the Board of Directors of Golden Key Credit on March 17, 2009.

‘The report said that Golden Key was collecting funds from the public going out of its way against all legal bounds,”she said.

“When we requested for a copy of the report in writing , the file was missing from the Supreme Court Registrar’s safe,”

Hapugoda said . “ In February, 2012 when during proceedings of the Golden Key Credit case when we raised the matter before Chief Justice Dr Shirani Bandaranayake , she admitted that she heard about the loss of that report.

“Chief Justice Dr Bandaranayaka said , “ Matath Eka Aarnchi” ( I have been made aware”).

Hapugoda said , they requested Chief Justice Dr Bandaranayaka to summon the Supreme Court Registrar about it, upon which she replied that the Registrar cannot do anything about it, and asked what were they going to do about it.

As pointed out by Golden Credit Card Depositors , this is just one twist in their case.

Golden Key Credit depositor Prasanna Hennayaka said at the press conference, the Golden Key Credit case has been heard under several Chief Justices from former Juctice Sarath N Silva to present Chief Justice Dr Shirani Bandaranayaka for three and a half years.

“ When the case was heard by Supreme Court Judge Shirani Thilekewardena, she took steps to arrange a repayment plan for them with directions to Kothalawala and his Board of Directors to pay a sum of Rs 200 000 to each depositor on a quarterly basis during her time,” he said.

“From 2011 October 13, the case was heard under Chief Justice Dr Shirani Bandaranayake. The depositors did not receive any payment due to them during this time. Also, there had been no inquiry against those who got bail, including Kothalawala and his Board of Directors, “ he said. .

“On November 6, 2012, when the impeachment motion was brought against Chief Justice Dr.Shirani Bandaranayaka, we submitted a letter to Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa apprising him of all injustices we suffered when the case was being heard under Chief Justice Dr Bandaranayaka. .” “In December 2011, because our case took a dramatic twist and the case was on the brink of being thrown out by Chief Justice Bandaranayake, we made an appeal to Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa to address our issue through Parliament”.

We submitted a letter titled “ Sequence of events in ....ex-parte No 195/2009 the Golden Key case ”, which was prepared by our lawyers to the Speaker explaining how Golden Key depositors’ case took a surprising twist under the present Chief Justice.

The depositors said that it occurred to them that the case was being led to their disadvantage methodically against all norms of justice under the present Chief Justice. “The case was being used as a sources of amassing wealth,” said Hapugoda.

It was for the benefit of the country, that impeachment against Chief Justice had manifested. Some of our depositors committed suicide because they were compelled to think that they would not get any money they had invested with the Golden Key company, she said.

This is a fraud involving Rs 26 billion with thousands of victims.