NPP Investigators Turn Spotlight on a Forgotten Scandal
(Lanka-e-News -23.Nov.2025, 9.20 PM) Two decades after Sri Lanka’s infamous early-2000s VAT scam—once described as one of the largest tax frauds in South and Southeast Asia—the case has been dragged back into public focus.
And at the centre of a renewed political storm is former Minister Imtiaz Bakir Marker, a man long shielded by power, privilege and a network of political loyalty.
The new National People’s Power (NPP) administration has authorised a fresh probe into how billions in fraudulent VAT refunds evaporated from the Treasury, and how several suspects—many of them close to political elites of the period—escaped prosecution.
Now, investigators, anti-corruption activists, and a rising tide of disillusioned voters are all asking a pointed question:
Did illicit VAT money help finance the overseas education of Marker’s children?
Though the original VAT investigation led to charges against several individuals—including some of Marker’s extended relatives—many observers say the political establishment ensured the inquiry never reached the top.
Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa has, according to political insiders and leaked testimonies, privately admitted that he “covered up” aspects of the case to shield Imtiaz Marker, his then political ally and prominent organiser of pro-Palestinian activities within the Mahinda Rajapaksa, who supported Hamas terror organisation.
To this day, no detailed public explanation has been provided on why Marker was never indicted.
How Did Imtiaz Markar Finance Three UK-Educated Children?
Public scrutiny is now growing over Markar’s family finances during the years following the VAT scam.
Marker’s children pursued high-cost higher education in the United Kingdom:
One son reportedly studied at the LSE, incurring expenses amounting to tens of millions of Sri Lankan rupees when adjusted for tuition, accommodation, and living costs.
Fadil Markar, another son, now works for a UN agency, a position that requires high-level educational credentials and international training.
Insaf Markar, the third son, serves as a political adviser at the British High Commission in Colombo.
None of these positions are improper. But in a country where parents sell land, gold, and even their last assets to send children abroad, ordinary Sri Lankans are asking a simple question:
Where did Imtiaz Bakir Markar obtain the funds to educate three children in Britain during the same period his relatives were implicated in a multibillion-rupee fraud?
The NPP government’s investigators are now probing whether:
Any of Markar’s personal or family accounts received funds linked to the VAT scam;
These funds may have been used to pay for foreign tuition and living costs;
Political interference prevented or delayed investigations into Markar’s financial dealings;
Any members of the judiciary or the Attorney General’s Department—some related to Imtiaz Barkir Markar’s Family—played a role in protecting him from legal exposure.
In a nation where thousands of children study barefoot, without textbooks, skipping meals, and enduring sweltering classrooms, the idea that stolen public money may have funded elite overseas education is fuelling public anger.
Every time a Sri Lankan child walks miles to school or shares a tattered textbook, the contrast grows starker.
Why, parents ask, should a politically connected family enjoy “cushy British education” if there is even a remote possibility it was financed through publicly stolen funds?
The NPP administration’s anti-corruption platform is now being put to the test. Civil society groups insist that:
Imtiaz Bakir Markar must publicly disclose the source of educational funds,
His UK-financed children education must provide financial transparency,
Any evidence of illicit benefit must lead to charges not only in Sri Lanka but also in international institutions employing his children.
“If stolen money financed foreign degrees, then the beneficiaries are part of the criminality,” one activist declared.
For years, Marker presented himself as a moral voice in politics—an heir to a former Speaker, a “clean” politician, and later a frustrated national-list aspirant who claimed he was unfairly kept out of Parliament.
That image is now collapsing under the weight of old scandals resurrected.
The NPP’s decision to reopen the VAT files means Marker may no longer be able to rely on political favour, diplomatic friends, or institutional protection.
The public is demanding answers:
How were the overseas tuition fees paid?
What were the declared income sources?
Were educational costs consistent with his known earnings?
Did any VAT scam money indirectly or directly reach the Marker household?
Until those questions are answered, the suspicion won’t fade.
What hangs in the balance is not merely Marker’s reputation but the credibility of the institutions employing his children—from the UN to the British diplomatic service.
If any connection emerges between Sri Lanka’s biggest tax fraud and the private educational fortunes of a political family, the consequences could span from Colombo to London and Geneva.
For now, one thing is clear:
The public wants transparency.
The government wants accountability.
And Imtiaz Bakir Marker is running out of places to hide.
-By A Special Correspondent
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by (2025-11-23 15:56:55)
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