Government going slow on “stolen US$ 18 billion” investigations – Senior UNP’er
The government was going slow on investigations into allegations that the Rajapakasas had allegedly siphoned off US$ 18 billion in State funds while in power between 2005 and 2014 , a senior member of the United National Party charged yesterday.
Western Provincial Council UNP member Srinath Perera PC, told the ” Sunday Island” that it was a mystery as to why more than a year after the UNP/SLFP administration had assumed office, not much headway had been made on an allegation as serious as US$ 18 billion belonging to the country being plundered by the Rajapaksas.
“If such an amount had been robbed, the government owed it to the people, the vast majority of whom live below the poverty line, to fast track investigations and recover the monies for their sake,” hew said.
Admitting that it would not be easy to recover stolen State resources, Perera noted that the culprits would have taken steps to cover their tracks by investing in offshore accounts or other ventures under false names.
He said that the go-slow mystery approach had baffled the public who were told that monies rightfully belonging to them had been siphoned off by the Rajapaksas.
“A responsible government should bring to book, whoever it may be, accused of plundering the country’s wealth. A lethargic approach would lead to corrupt elements in the current administration assuming that they too could do any wrong and get away.”
Asked about the mushrooming global scandal triggered by the “Pananma Papers” which has named many politicians worldwide, but none from Sri Lanka, of having hidden offshore accounts, Perera replied: “I have not studied this issue in depth. It’s too early to make any definite comments. Who knows, with time more names linked to the real owners can surface.”
Iceland’s Prime Minister Sigmundur David Gunnlaugsson who resigned recently, became the first political victim of the ” Panama Papers” which contain some 11.5 million encrypted documents leaked by a Panamanian law firm, Mossak Fonseca.
Among the other world leaders accused of shadowy financial transactions via shell companies are Argentine President Mauricio Macri, Saudi Arabia’s King Salman, UAE President Sheikh Khalifa and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko.
British Prime Minister David Cameron’s office has admitted that he did have a stake in an Offshore Fund established by his father, but had sold it prior to being elected to office.
Deputy Minister of State Enterprise Development, Eran Wickremeratne said last week that the “Panama Papers” spoke of 204,000 offshore accounts of which 14,000 were shell companies registered in Seychelles, but only in the case of 204 that the real owners had been identified.
Informed sources noted that among the companies identified were three with a total of 22 shareholders that were linked to Sri Lanka.
Establishing the Sri Lankan political link would take a long time, Wickremeratne said. “Those involved in illegal activity usually take precautions to hide their real identity. As such investigations are bound to be slow. We all know that Bank of Ceylon opened a branch in Seychelles and air links were also established during the tenure of the last Rajapaksa regime.”
(Source: The Island – by Zacki Jabbar)
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Ranil and sirisena are traitors to the extreme as they are silently protecting the great money plunderer rapaksas.
There is a credible report from a UK based international agency which reports US$19,000 million was illegally spirited away from SL between 2005 and 2015, which represents the Rajapaksa Yugaya.
Despite many promises by the Sena-Singhe “Clean” Government, not a single penny has been located.
It may be worthwhile appointing a Minsiter for Recovery of Fradulently Spirted Assets; a minister costs the taxpayer LKR 500m per month and there are a 100 of them in the Sena-Singhe Government. One more wouldn’t hurt the beleaguered economy.
Of the 100 ministers, at least 95 are ‘farting’ day and night, doing nothing; isn’t this a new form of corruption?
International agencies have also said during the last few days of the elam war 40,000 civilians have been killed.
The reports by multiple international agencies regarding 40,000 deaths of Thamil civilians in the barbaric war waged by the Government of the Democratic republic of Sri Lanka are indeed, extremely credible and are factually correct.
Milsovic, the barbarian, who massacred innocent civilians has been jailed for life by the ICC. A similar fate will befall barbaric war criminals, some of whom are still manning top political, defence and administrative positions, masquerading as saviours of the Sinhala nation.
Balasundaram
I am sure you are LTTE supporter. How about the innocent civilians that were killed for years by the Barbarian Prahakaran himself. No one seems to care a damn about the innocent people who died in another parts of the country, Even when the foreign heads of state come to Sri Lanka they mention they are heading to Jaffna to visit the war victims. So all the other families around the country who lost loved ones are not war victims.
And about the Billions that the Rajapakse”s are supposed to have stolen. I am sure Ranil and My3 would have found a way to prove that MR and his clan stolen the money if there was any truth to it so that they can look good. What happened to the hotel that the Rajapakse’s are supposed to have in Dubai. No body still knows the name of the hotel. It seems to have dissapeared.
If there is any truth to all the allegations and the current government can not prove it then they either have a hand in this as well. And by the way what was MY3 doing for 8 and a half years with MR all those years. It took a promise to make him president for his eyes to open What a lot of Bull shit . ” All fart and no shit”