Corruption

A sum of Rs. 1057173093/= from the President’s fund that has been established to donate to various public welfare including surgery for heart patients has been misappropriated. This is revealed in the report for 2009 released by the Auditor General. The information required for auditing has been made available to the Auditor General on 28.12.2010 […]

 ”Take some examples from the COPE report. They range from mega losses like Mihinair (Rs. 13,000 million in three years) to the chairman of Paranthan Chemical Company, a state enterprise, registering a lorry which belongs to the state under his name and then hiring it from him. It ranges from Sri Lanka Cricket spending Rs. […]

Former Chief Justice of Sri Lanka and Presidential Advisor Ashoka de Silva says that the country’s development rate has dropped by 2 percent due to the increase in corruption. De Silva has said that corruption costs Rs. 100 billion to the country, which in turn affects the poverty levels. He has made these observations at […]

ANDUN A. JAYASEKERAThe Justice Ministry is in a quandary as to how to reclaim millions of rupees worth of movable and immovable properties from several retired High Court Judges who continue to use these properties illegally even after several years of retirement, a senior ministry official said yesterday. Justice Ministry Secretary Suhada Gamlath said the […]

Shamindra FerdinandoCOPE Chief Minister Dew Gunasekera believes that Sri Lanka Cricket is the most corrupt institution in the country.  Responding to a query by The Island, the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Sri Lanka alleged that SLC was in a crisis today due to corruption. There couldn’t be any other reason, the outspoken […]

“The Committee (COPE) reports to the Parliament and the recommendations contained in their reports are deemed to be directives to the respective Corporations or Statutory Boards for due compliance.”(Official web site of parliament) In Sri Lanka, where politicians are the most stupidly superstitious, number “13”, which is not used in any hotel for any room or […]

Barely an hour after a Sri Lankan Airlines A-340 airbus dropped its wheels on the Robert L Bradshaw International Airport in the Carribean island of St Kitts, an entourage of 160 checked into their rooms at the four-star Marriot Resort and Royal Beach Casino. The journey from Colombo, with a stop-over in London for re-fuelling […]

‘Mihin Lanka’ airlines that gobbled Rs.5930 million within a period of five years incurred a loss of Rs.6816 within the same period. This is revealed in an answer by the Minister of Civil Aviation Priyankara Jayaratna to a question posed by the Leader of the group of JVP Parliamentarians Anura Dissanayake in Parliament yesterday (9th).Another […]

UNP Kurunegala District parliamentarian Dayasiri Jayasekara speaking to the Daily Mirror online today said that the stock market is run by a mafia with black money. “The stock exchange is completely dominated by a few people who are investing their illegal money into the system and at the end of it all they make their […]

 (Srilankamirror) – The Sevanagala Sugar factory, owned by Daya Group of Companies, has been illegally taken over and occupied by thugs employed by Coconut Development Minister Jagath Pushpakumara, said the Group’s media unit in a statement. The Group said in the statement, this illegal and forced takeover has taken place amidst a government move to table […]

ESPNcricinfo staffThree of Sri Lanka’s international venues, including the newly built stadiums in Pallekele and Hambantota, have been handed over to the military indefinitely because Sri Lanka Cricket is unable to afford the maintenance costs.The R Premadasa stadium in Colombo – redeveloped for the World Cup earlier this year – is being taken by the […]

(LBO) – Sri Lanka’s state entities have been badly hit by the appointment of unqualified persons to top positions and while annual accounts were not available for some, a media report said.   “The appointment of unqualified people to top management posts on political grounds and the lack of financial and administrative disciplines had ruined many […]

The UNP yesterday lashed out at the government for a controversial move to rush through a Bill titled ‘Revival of Underperforming Enterprises and Underutilized Assets’.The UNP has alleged that the Rajapaksa administration is playing politics with the national economy.In a letter to Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa, Chief Opposition Whip John Amaratunga has warned that some provisions […]

Chandra Jayaratne The Bill appears to have been certified by the Cabinet on the 20th October 2011 as an Urgent Bill and was presented to and reviewed by the Supreme Court during the last week. The Bill has reached the Media and Citizens only towards the end of last week ie. after the review by […]

”To some extent this entwining of politics, crime and drugs was explained by the Secretary to the Ministry of Defence in following words: “Unfortunately, due to the environment of this area; where the underworld existed with a gun culture, it was not unknown that the politicians working there would have such connections. The politics they […]

Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe’s eldest brother Shan Wickremesinghe today visited the Colombo Crimes Division (CCD) and lodged a complaint with the head of the CCD SP D.R.L. Ranaweera to immediately inquire as to how Dilith Jayaweera who could not afford a meal for Rs. 5 when he was a Law student in the Colombo University, […]

There seems to be a link between Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE), illegal drugs and the recent murder of a presidential advisor, says the owner of a private media network. Shan Wickramsinghe, the owner of the TNL media network, told BBC Sandeshaya that he received death threats after his network discussed the alleged link in a […]

In another glaring instance where public money has been wasted due to corruption, the country has lost a massive Rs.983 million as a result of an investment made in a Norwegian company a few years ago for an online lottery, the parliamentary Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) has revealed.The lottery had been introduced during 2002-2004 […]

Sending an emphatic message that it means business, the Government yesterday submitted to the Supreme Court for its clearance an urgent Bill aimed at taking over State enterprise and assets which are underperforming or beset with other ills.The move follows Cabinet approving the proposed Revival of Underperforming Enterprises and Under-Utilised Assets Act. It was submitted […]

One of Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa’s racketeer friends, the head of Triad Advertising and Derana Network, Dilith Jayaweera also known as “Money Laundering” Jayaweera has threatened the Opposition Leader’s brother and the head of TNL TV, Shan Wickremesinghe with death.Shan Wickremesinghe has joined a current affairs programme on TNL TV and said that the Colombo […]

”The Central Bank-managed Employees Provident Fund (EPF) has lost a massive Rs. 270 million in just one week on its highly-questionable stock market transaction of Laugfs Gas company. It is well known in the market that the EPF purchased the said shares at an unjustifiable Rs. 48 per share on Monday 10 October when it […]

”Political parties should pay more attention to addressing campaign expenditure regulations, and to abide by the laws disclosing assets of elected officials. Political parties, police officers and voters seem to be largely unconcerned about the violations of the prevailing laws and regulations that govern publicity and elections. ”PAFFREL issues Election Day reportPAFFREL in its report […]

Courts have summoned the investigating officers in the scrap iron case against ITN journalist Sudarman Radaliyagoda. Colombo additional magistrate Tikiri Jayatilake today (Oct. 03) ordered all officers, past and present, who had probed the charge against Radaliyagoda to be present on October 17.  The court was told that the investigation was first handled by Colombo Fraud […]

Joseph Stalin Fernando Although the per capita income of the GDP of Sri Lanka is US $ 1400, the income disparity between the higher income earning group and the lower income earning group is very high. The income of the richest 30% has increased rapidly to 65.6% of the GDP whilst the income of the poorest […]

Maldivian Vice-President Dr Mohammed Waheed, meeting Mahinda Rajapaksa over the weekend at the UN General Assembly Sessions, assured the latter of the support of Male to Colombo’s stand on its human rights issues, according to Maldivian media Haveeru, Tuesday. “Early this month Maldivian President Mohamed Nasheed defended Sri Lanka’s position at the UN Human Rights […]

Saliya Kumara GunasekeraEnvironmentalists warn that the Puttalam lagoon could be severely damaged due to a decision taken by a powerful politico of the area to clear 75 acres of land on the eastern side of the lagoon.It is alleged that the area concerned is currently being cleared using bulldozers to build a saltern. Environmentalists charge […]

”These new regulations enforce an equal chilling of freedom of expression and information and constraints on general liberties. What is the practical and legal justification for this? And when we talk of post rehabilitation detainees being monitored, is this accompanied by intimidation or threats ”Kishali Pinto Jayawardene  A State has an undoubted duty as well […]

Prime Minister D. M. Jayaratne is believed to have spent approximately Rs. 3.6 million for his son’s wedding and homecoming invitations. These invitation cards manufactured using crafted wood and brass that depicts the sun and the moon were purchased from Da Vinci Digital Imaging, a well known up-market personalised wedding stationery designer store. According to sources […]

 ■COPE calls for explanation from CPC  Mandana Ismail AbeywickremaA damning report by the Auditor General’s Department on the position of the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) in 2009 has highlighted many irregularities in the cash strapped government institution. The Auditor General’s report has been handed over to the Parliamentary Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) for further inquiries. COPE […]

Zacki JabbarDespite the committee that probed the CPC’s import of sub standard petrol, recommending the recovery of the loss of around Rs.410 million from those responsible including the supplier, no action has been initiated, the UNP said yesterday.Media spokesman of the UNP Gayantha Karunathikalle, told a news conference in Colombo that Petroleum Industries Minister Susil […]