Sri Lanka News Updates with Discussions

Sri Lanka Minister says he has the documents to show JVP frauds
Monday, September 10, 2007, 5:08 GMT, ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.

Sept 10, Colombo: Sri Lanka Minister of Nation Building S.M. Chandrasena warned the Marxist People' Liberation Front (JVP) MP Anura Kumara Dissanayake saying that he has documents to show corruption in the Ten Thousand Tanks project.

The JVP MP conducted the Ten Thousand Tanks project while he was the Minister of Agriculture.

The JVP MP has engaged with the Minister of Nation Building over a massive fraud in paying compensation to the farmers whose crops were damaged due to the closure of Mavilaru sluice gate in the Eastern Province by the Tamil Tigers.

MP Dissanayake last week produced a bank statement pertaining to transfer of Rs. 400,000 to an account of Minister S.M. Chandrasena by an accused now in remand custody for the fraud.

Rs. five million tsunami aids fraud investigated in Sri Lanka
Saturday, September 8, 2007, 5:43 GMT, ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.

Sept 08, Colombo: Sri Lanka Ministry of Health is conducting an investigation on a massive fraud on pharmaceuticals received as tsunami aids.

Ministry sources said that the stocks of pharmaceuticals sent to Ampara hospital in the Eastern province have not been properly entered in inventories and a pharmacist is suspected of selling them to private pharmacies.

The suspect pharmacist has recently purchased a Rs. 2.5 million van. The value of the lost stock of pharmaceuticals is around Rs. five million.

Minister ditches youth in Japan
Rs. 15 million job scam exposed


@ The Nation /Sunday June 03rd, 2007

Minister of Religious Affairs Pandu Bandaranaike who had allegedly taken 15 youth promising them employment in Japan has ditched them and returned to Sri Lanka, The Nation reliably learns.

The Minister who had been part of a Sri Lanka ? Japan cultural exchange programme had taken these youth to Japan in the guise of being ?delegates? of the cultural exchange programme.

However, at the Narita International Airport in Tokyo, when the Japanese Airport authorities had made inquires from the delegation led by the Minister, it was discovered that these youth did not have the necessary documents to proceed, and so they were detained. After being questioned by the authorities they had told that they had paid rupees 1 million each to a job agent to accompany the minister.

A few attempts made by the Minister to get the 15 ?delegates? released proved futile. The Minister has returned to the country leaving them behind. However, it is learnt that the youth are still unaware that the Minister had left them and returned to the country.

A spokesman attached to the Japanese Embassy confirmed the incident but refused to divulge details of those who were part of the scam, owing to ?embassy policy?.

Numerous attempts made by The Nation to contact Minister Bandaranaike proved futile.

In yet another development, Japanese police raided the restaurant of a Sri Lankan entrepreneur in Tokyo and arrested several Sri Lankans working there.

It was revealed that these youth did not posses necessary work permits or documents for employment in Japan either.

It has been reported that the Sri Lankan Tourist Board has had a hand in this matter.

give me elam or gimme my money...

Ministry Secretary involved in 130 million fertilizer fraud
Alleged fertiliser fraud: evidence against top officials

By Gihan de Chickera and Kelum Bandara
@ DM / 23 June 2006

The special committee set up to investigate the Rs. 130 million fertilizer fraud has found evidence that certain officials of the Agriculture Development Ministry, including its Secretary Tissa Warnasuriya were allegedly responsible for the fraud.

Parliament was informed yesterday of these findings by Leader of the House Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva during the adjournment debate on the fertilizer subsidy.

The Minister said the Government does not approve corruption and had immediately appointed a high level committee to investigate the alleged fertilizer racket involving Ministry officials.

He said that the Committee recorded evidence from relevant persons for 13 consecutive days, and submitted a 40-page report to President Mahinda Rajapaksa on June 15.

The Committee had found that Authorized Officer of Colombo Commercial Fertilizers Chanaka Benjamin was responsible for putting in place the groundwork for the fraud.

Ministry Additional Secretary Gunatilake had been accused of dereliction of duty, based on the Committee?s findings, Minister de Silva said.

Citing the Committee recommendations, Mr. de Silva said it was unbelievable that Mr. Warnasuriya, who is also the Chief Accounting Officer at the Ministry, was responsible for approving the tender for the transaction.

He said it is now up to the Public Service Commission (PSC) to take action against all these officials.

?According to the Establishment Code, there is a procedure to take action against Government officials. We have no power to take action against them however much we would desire it. Those who level allegations against us for not taking appropriate action obviously lack experience in administration,? he said.

He said the Government had now fulfilled its maximum obligations on the matter, leaving the PSC to take further action on it.

Commenting on the fertilizer subsidy, the minister pledged the Government would continue to grant it despite any economic problems which may be encountered in the future.

He said the country recorded a bumper paddy harvest during the last season, which eventually led to the present purchasing process crisis.

No government has been able to fulfill its obligations within six months, the minister said.