Appropriate legal measures will be taken in connection with the massive amounts of US dollars deposited in a Dubai Bank by a member of “royal” family during the previous regime soon after the details of the transactions of those accounts is provided by the Federal Reserves in the United States, said Cabinet Spokesman and Health Minister Dr. Rajitha Senaratne. He said that according to reliable details available so far USD 1.086 billion are lying in one account which is owned by one member of the previous government’s VVIP family. He made this observation yesterday at the cabinet briefing held at the Information Department auditorium.
“In the account of another close associate of the same VVIP family, who was also a businessman a sum of USD 500 million has been deposited while a joint account of a Ministry Secretary of the previous regime and another person had USD 1.8 billion”, Minister Rajith Senaratne said.
“All these monies are in the accounts of Dubai Banks and the money has been earned by illegal means. However every dollar that is transacted is recorded in the Federal Reserve”. He said the government has requested details of these accounts from the Federal Reserve to support the investigations. He added that the Federal Reserve in the US has asked for a considerable time period to find out the details of the US dollars that had been transacted through those accounts as billions of US dollars are being transacted daily.
The Minister made these remarks when a media personnel queried a statement by Chathura Senarate that said he saw the money earned illegally by the VVIPs of the previous government. The Minister said that Chathura said he saw the documents pertaining to those illegal transactions. Mass Media and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Gayantha Karunathilake, Justice and Buddhasasana Minister Wijedasa Rajapaksa. and Army Spokesman Brigadier Jayantha Jayaweera also spoke at the occasion.
by Sandasen MARASINGHE
CDN