(Lanka-e-News-14.Feb.2017, 11.30PM) The story which was circulated that the officers of the FCID , senior DIG Ravi Waidyalankara and chief police inspector Anura Premaratne were nearly arrested in the US by the FBI when the officers went to US to investigate a criminal misappropriation of public funds committed by Gotabaya’s son and latter’s wife who are in California, has been proved as absolutely false. The weekend newspaper and the website belonging to the same owner which reported this near arrest bogus news are to be sued under section 5 of the right to information Act . based on reports reaching Lanka e news.
This totally false report had been published at the behest of Gotabaya Rajapakse , and this was orchestrated following a discussion between Gotabaya and the unscrupulous owner of the newspaper and website .
According to section 5 of the right to information Act , information that can damage the diplomatic relationship between Sri Lanka and a foreign country shall not be published. Hence , when the owner of the newspaper and the website became aware that legal action is going to be instituted pertaining to the mendacious and malicious reports , he had through another website belonging to him has made another report that what was published earlier by himself is a lie.
The officers Ravi Waidyalankara and Anura Premaratne of the FCID left for California following a complaint made by foreign minister Mangala Samaraweera to the FCID on 3 rd December 2016.
According to the complaint ,payments have been made in respect of the residence that was used by Dr. Hector Weerasinghe who was the Consul to California even after he left the residence and returned to SL . That is, payments have been released towards this residence after July 2013 even when it was not being used, and there was no Consul.
Malraj De Silva residing in California, who is engaged in the money laundering activities on behalf of Gotabaya was given appointment from Colombo after the return of Weerasinghe , but American authorities did not approve Malraj’s appointment.
In other words there was no legally appointed consul. Yet the monthly rent of US dollars 8000.00 had been continuously paid for the house used earlier by the Consul. What’s more ? payments have also been released to meet expenses in respect of internet , telephone and television facilities in the house. What is most rudely shocking is , the internet facilities had been obtained after Weerasinghe returned to SL which is suggestive what amount of murky activities have gone on.
Meanwhile two officers Lakshman and Indika of the army were dispatched purportedly for duties at the Consul office .But these officers have never reported for work at the Consul office and have stayed at the residence aforementioned. Besides they have been paid double salaries monthly – by foreign ministry and the army.
Such payment twice over by two government departments is absolutely illegal . The stark truth is , it is Gotabaya’s son and daughter in law who were residing in that house .Even the vehicle of the Consul had been used by this couple, while the two army officers have been working as driver and security for Gota’s son and daughter in law.
What is most intriguing about this racket is , the vehicle that was used had almost daily travelled to one location, the Pamona University based on records. During that period , it was Gota’s daughter in law who was studying at Pamona University, and the two army officers aforementioned served as driver and security personnel for Gota’s son and daughter in law. Salaries and overtime for these two army officers were paid illegally out of the Sri Lankan people’s funds.
Though payment can be made only for a maximum of 100 hours overtime for a month ,these two officers have each collected payments for over 150 hours overtime monthly . These two culprits had been in that house for two weeks even after the collapse of the corrupt crooked Rajapakse regime . They have returned to SL only thereafter.
This corruption of the Rajapakse crooks came to light for the first time only after Swarna Premachandra , a sister of Bharatha Lakshman ( allegedly murdered by Rajapakses ) was appointed as the new Consul to California and this fraud was discovered by the audit officers she took from Colombo to her California office. The foreign minister upon coming to know of this racket made a complaint to the FCID.
Based on the complaint made by the foreign minister ,Ravi Waidyalankara senior DIG and Anura Premaratne CI of the FCID left for California after informing the US government through the foreign ministry. The news reports in the newspaper and the website that Ravi and Anura had not followed the diplomatic protocol governing foreign trips is therefore an absolute lie.
In any event the diplomatic office or Consular office of a country in a foreign state belongs not to the country where it is located but to the country which is running the diplomatic service .According to international law , if there has been a fraud or corruption in such a diplomatic office , the right to conduct the investigation belongs to the country to which the diplomatic office belongs and not to the country where it is located.
Some years ago when the Burmese ambassador shot and killed his wife within the embassy in Sri Lanka . The SL government did not have any right to investigate that murder . Moreover the remains of the victim was taken to Burma and the ambassador too was summoned to Burma for investigation.
That being a good example to illustrate how the international law operates , the right to investigation into the corruption and fraud that took place in California in the SL consular office in the US , belongs absolutely to the SL police . Though the newspaper and website owner aforementioned does not know the law , the US Officials are fully aware .
Hence there was no attempt made to arrest the FCID officers of SL while in California as reported by the newspaper and the website and the news reports were totally fabricated and false . On the contrary what happened was , the local FCID officers were assisted in their investigations when they were in the US.
In the investigation report it is mentioned , Malraj De Silva the dual citizen (SL and US) who was involved in the money laundering on behalf of Gotabaya could not be met , neither was he interrogated by the FCID officers. The police officers who phoned Malraj had requested the latter to arrive at the California consular office and voluntarily assist in the investigations conducted by the government , and make a statement. Malraj however has declined the request.
When Malraj told the FCID officers to come and meet him at the place where he is , the police officers have rejected the request and told him , if he is not prepared to make a statement voluntarily , that is no issue , but since he is a dual citizen , they will ‘meet’ him the day he comes to SL.
The FCID officers who then left for Washington from California , returned home after completing their assignment.
While this is the true picture , the infernal newspaper and website concocted an entirely bogus story that the FCID met an individual without meeting him ; the FBI attempted to arrest the FCID officers ; and following the arrest at the American airport they had to return to the country after leaving back all the documents relating to investigation they took along including their baggage . Moreover, when the foreign government was investigating , the local police officers did not know protocol , the false report further mentioned.
In addition , the country was awash with posters which were pasted saying ‘ FCID chief who went escapes by a hair’s breadth’
Gotabaya of course who knew for a long time that an investigation is going to be instituted against his son and daughter in law scooted to America. When the FCID was conducting the investigation , Gota was in Malraj’s house aforementioned. Not only Gota even Basil his other notorious brother was in California at that time. The venal sordid media which was under the pay of Gotabaya for a long time made sure the truth was distorted and publicized.
Sadly, this is not the first time such newspapers and their websites have carried bogus news . Some weeks ago too , there was a newspaper canard supported with posters and photographs published by a weekend newspaper and the website belonging to it , that the civil organization leaders are going to accept ministerial portfolios.
Let it be known that the good governance government enacted laws regarding right to information not to permit the sordid media scoundrels to indulge in a profusion of lies and distortions, but rather to reinforce the people’s right to information . The officials should therefore take measures to put a full stop to these deadly and dangerous mendacious activities of the media scoundrels and villains , and ensure that the people’s right to information is given full play , without allowing scoundrels , villains and rascals to exploit the Act to their advantage , and against the citizens. Otherwise no mattter what laws are enacted , the people are not going to reap its benefits , and good governance will only be playing into the hands of the crooks, traitors and unscrupulous media Institution owners.
(Await a comprehensive report on the corruption and fraud indulged in by any diddle will do son and daughter in law of yankee doodle do Gotabaya)
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by (2017-02-14 19:21:37)
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