'FCID: Foremost enemy of those who ruined country'

The FCID has become the foremost enemy of those who skimmed the wealth of the nation, said JVP Leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake.

Addressing a press conference yesterday at the JVP office in Battaramulla, he said all the thieves who robbed public money are now standing against the FCID.

"Some deputy ministers within the government itself are stating that the FCID is not legal, a matter that must be settled within the Government. The FCID is operating under the IGP. We believe such a special unit must exist to take action against those involved in large scale frauds. It is the FCID which investigated on persons such as Basil Rajapaksa, Johnston Fernando and Yoshitha Rajapaksa. That was the reason why they are so scared of it," he said.

He further said the arrest of Yoshitha Rajapaksa was based on two major questions. "One was how a capital of Rs. 234 million was found to commence the CSN. What we tell former President Mahinda Rajapaksa is to say how this money was found and get his son released. If that money is not from the salary of Yoshitha or Mahinda and the income from the Medamulana Walauwa, then it should definitely be Treasury funds. In other words public funds. Should not those who robbed the public money be punished? Under the Money Laundering Act, such money could be taken over. There is enough evidence to proceed on this matter," he added.

He said the arrest of Yoshitha was not an act of political revenge, adding that it was a result of legal action taken jointly by the Police and the Court.

He said the JVP will give its fullest support for the investigations taking place on bribery and corruption, adding that they would never give up the fight until the thieves are brought to book.

"Investigations concerning nearly 35 cases of corruption and bribery have been completed and sent to the Attorney General. However, the Attorney General is yet to reply to over 30 of them. Therefore legal action have been delayed," he said.

Referring to comments made by Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake to his allegations in Parliament on the import of undervalued Prado jeeps, Dissanayake challenged Karunanayake for an open debate on TV.

United National Party signs MoU with Democratic party

Sri Lanka’s ruling United National Party (UNP) today signed a collective agreement with the Democratic Party (DP) led by former Army Commander Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka at Temple Trees in Colombo.

The agreement was signed by Fonseka as the leader of the Democratic Party and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe as the UNP leader. The two leaders exchanged agreements for the Democratic Party to join the United National Front (UNF), the coalition led by the UNP.

Addressing media at the event, Fonseka said that his party acted alone for the past 3 years and that it wanted to deliver a message to the country.

He stated that the party was able to go a long way within a short period of time and that they decided to move forward together with the UNF.

“We will act as a partner of the United National Front from here on,” he said.

The former Army Chief said he believes he was somewhat related to the UNP and that they shared the same stage during two important junctures – the presidential elections in 2010 and 2015.  

Fonseka was the Common Candidate and contested against Mahinda Rajapaksa in 2010 while his party supported then Common Candidate Maithripala Sirisena at the 2015 presidential poll.

He also said that it will not be difficult for the UNF to continue forward under the leadership of Wickremesinghe.

The Prime Minister, also speaking at the occasion, said that the two parties discussed the agreement in December and that they were hoping to finalize it in January.

However, it was delayed due to the World Economic Forum in Switzerland.

The UNP leader said that they wanted all the parties who supported the ‘January 08 revolution’ to join together and move forward.

He stated that several parties joined forces to ensure Maithripala Sirisena’s victory at the election and that some of those parties are now I the opposition.

We invited all the other parties to join the United National Front and the Democratic Party accepted that invitation, he said.

Deputy ministers visit to see remanded Yoshitha Rajapaksa

Several public representatives continued to visit the Welikada Remand Prison on Tuesday as well, to meet Yoshitha Rajapaksa and the detainees arrested with him.

Among them were many of his relatives including his brother, MP Namal Rajapaksa. Several SLFP minister and MPs who are seated with the government, also visited the detainees today.

Among them were Arundika Fernando, the Deputy Minister for Tourism Development and Christian Religious Affairs.

He said ” With regard to the FCID, many are saying that this institution is illegal, at a time when the Police Commission is also functioning. ”

Also among the visitors was Nishantha Muthuhettigama, now Deputy Minister of Ports and Shipping. He warned ” We will not leave the Sri Lanka Freedom Party, but we are prepared to abandon the post of deputy minister or even pawn it. We have faith that a decision will be made on this.”

Meanwhile, a group of lawyers also convened a media briefing on Tuesday and expressed their views on the matter.

Attorney-at-Law Premanath Dolawaththa said ” The manner in which the police and the government are acting in this special case, is very suspicious.”

Harin Fernando, the Minister of Telecommunications and Digital Infrastructure raised several issues with the operations of the channel CSN, a channel which he said had been dubbed as ” the channel that turns black money, white. ”

He pointed out that the channel’s offices sat on land gifted to the Rajapaksa Foundation by a man he identified as M.H. Mohammed.

He also criticised the Rajapaksas as “authoritarians” who were “trying to turn this into a vote by inciting the people”. He cited the comments by the youngest Rajapaksa sibling, Rohitha Rajapakse, who took to social media to state the arrest of his elder brother was akin to “trampling on a lion’s tale.”

Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva said ” Even now, we are against the FCID. But, Yoshitha Rajapaksa has now been arrested. Is this fair or unfair? This must be decided by the court.” He requested that ” the Attorney General must act to take this to trial.”

” I wish to state that we have complete faith in the judicial system.” he concluded.

Lady Doctor Killed Husband To Hide Their Affair With Teen

A Sri Lankan doctor based in Australia allegedly bludgeoned her husband to death with a hammer, fearing he would reveal they were having sex with a teenager, Daily Mail reported.

Chamari Liyanage is accused of murdering Dinendra Athukorala, also a doctor, because she worried his unusual sexual proclivities could jeopardize her career, the Supreme Court of Western Australia heard.

She was fed up of being coerced her into threesomes with other women, including a 17-year-old girl with whom the Sri Lankan couple were having an affair, said prosecutor Nick Cogan, according to Daily Mail.

“It got to a stage that she was no longer prepared to put up with his behavior,” he added, the West Australian reported.

Dr. Liyanage told police her husband was physically violent, forced her to engage in sexual acts and controlled her movements and finances.

The jury heard a tearful 10-minute call she made to triple-0 at 6.11am in June 2014, in which she said she could not remember what had happened.

Officers arrived at the unit in Geraldton, WA, at 6.18am and spoke to her as she sat in the foetal position by the bed.

Dr Athukorala’s body was lying on the mattress covered in blood, which had splattered over the wall and blinds above him, police said. A pillow was on top of the corpse, they told the court.

“I asked if she knew what had happened,” said Matthew Curley, one of the first officers on the scene. “She said she did not know.”

He said he also saw a mallet or hammer lying on the bed. When asked, a sobbing Dr Liyanage said it belonged to her husband.

Defence lawyer George Giudice said his client was a “sleep-deprived, anxious, trapped and battered woman”. He said she was made to model for her husband in front of a camera, sometimes for hours on end.

Dr Liyanage pleaded not guilty to murdering her husband. The trial, set down for three weeks, continues.

Zika outbreak : WHO declares global emergency

The World Health Organization (WHO) says that disease linked to the Zika virus in Latin America which poses a global public health emergency requires a united response.

Experts are worried that the virus is spreading far and fast, with devastating consequences.

However the WHO alert puts Zika in the same category of concern as Ebola.

The U.N. agency took the rare step despite a lack of definitive evidence proving the mosquito-borne virus is causing a surge in babies born with brain defects and abnormally small heads in Brazil and following a 2013-14 outbreak in French Polynesia.

There have been around 4,000 reported cases of microcephaly in Brazil alone since October.

Meanwhile Brazil says that there is no chance that the Rio Olympics will be cancelled because of a Zika virus outbreak.

The authorities said there was no risk to athletes and spectators – except pregnant women – at the August event.

Google Loon project to begin soon in Sri Lanka

The trials of the Google Loon project would start soon in Ratmalana as the necessary equipment for such trials have arrived in the country, Telecommunication and Digital Infrastructure Minister Harin Fernando said  yesterday. 

He said a team from Google to carry out the trials was expected this month.

Sri Lanka entered into a partnership agreement with Google Inc. for the first mass deployment of Google’s high-altitude balloon-based Internet services in July last year.

Though brief trials have been conducted in New Zealand and Brazil, this would be the first country Google’s Loon project would be launched officially.  The agreement is valid for a period of one year.

Information Communication and Technology Agency of Sri Lanka (ICTA) MD/CEO Muhunthan Canagey said if the trails were satisfactory, Sri Lanka would enter a fully-fledged agreement with Google Inc. for the deployment of the balloons subject to necessary approvals from the Defence, Finance and other ministerial level approvals. Minister Fernando stressed that the investment put in by the Sri Lankan government in the project would be the spectrum.

“For our investment, the Sri Lankan government will be a shareholder of the project. And also, the local telecom service providers will each be offered a 10 percent stake in the company.”

Google Loon Fernando said 90 percent of the telecom services providers in the country are in favour of the project.

“This project will bring down their (service providers) capital expenditure on telecom towers significantly. If someone is against it, I don’t understand their logic.”

The minister is expected to hold discussions with the country’s telecom services providers regarding the Google Loon project this week.

The telecom services providers were said to have made representations to the President Maithripala Sirisena, expressing their concerns about the Google Loon project.

Sri Lanka’s Internet penetration is estimated at 26 percent.

Fernando pointed out that with the Goole Loon project, the government expects to make the Internet accessible to the entire population at affordable rates.

“If 10 percent the population have Internet, the GDP grows more than 1.2 percent. This is the impact Internet could have on a country’s economy,” the minister said, referring to findings of a recent research.

Fernando, Canagey and Defence State Minister Ruwan Wijewardene recently undertook a trip to Silicon Valley, San Francisco, USA and met with the top executives of tech giants such as Google, Facebook and PayPal. 

Fernando said the response from the US-based IT giants towards helping Sri Lanka to transform into an “innovation centre” was extremely forthcoming.

Fernando said 90 percent of the telecom services providers in the country are in favour of the project.

“This project will bring down their (service providers) capital expenditure on telecom towers significantly. If someone is against it, I don’t understand their logic.”

The minister is expected to hold discussions with the country’s telecom services providers regarding the Google Loon project this week. The telecom services providers were said to have made representations to the President Maithripala Sirisena, expressing their concerns about the Google Loon project.

Sri Lanka’s Internet penetration is estimated at 26 percent.

Fernando pointed out that with the Goole Loon project, the government expects to make the Internet accessible to the entire population at affordable rates.

“If 10 percent of the population have Internet, the GDP would grow more than 1.2 percent. This is the impact Internet could have on a country’s economy,” the minister said, referring to findings of a recent research.

Fernando, Canagey and Defence State Minister Ruwan Wijewardene recently undertook a trip to Silicon Valley, San Francisco, USA and met with the top executives of tech giants such as Google, Facebook and PayPal.   Fernando said the response from the US-based IT giants towards helping Sri Lanka to transform into an “innovation centre” was extremely forthcoming.

Yoshitha Rajapaksa will be indicted in High Court

Lieutenant Yoshitha Kanishka Rajapaksa, second son of former President Mahinda... ... Rajapaksa will be indicted in High Court, said the Police Media Spokesperson ASP Ruwan Gunasekara.

The 27-year-old suspect, who was arrested by the Financial Crimes Investigation Division (FCID) along with four others in connection with alleged financial irregularities at the Carlton Sports Network (CSN) during the previous regime, was produced before the Kaduwela Magistrate's Court on Saturday (30) and remanded till 11 February.

"Investigations had revealed that the initial capital of Rs 234 million was not accounted for with information on its source. There was also USD 2.3 million sent to the company from a foreign country. The source of this was also questionable," said the Police Spokesperson adding, "It is not possible to continue with the investigations without arresting them."

In addition to Yoshitha Rajapaksa who was said to be the unofficial chairperson of the CSN, its Executive Director Nishantha Ranatunge and former President Mahinda Rajapaksa's Spokesperson and CSN Chairperson Rohan Weliwita were also taken into custody by the FCID.

Furthermore, two other directors, Ashan Rabinath Fernando and Sachitha Kaushan Dissanayake were also arrested on Saturday (30) in connection with the alleged financial irregularities, forged documents and money laundering.

Some of the related documents proved to be forged. This had led to the directors being tried for money laundering, ASP Gunasekara said, adding that one more director, who is female – Shaadiya Karunajeeva – was arrested later. According to the Spokesperson, all of the suspects were directors and stakeholders of CSN.

Accordingly, the FCID questioned Lieutenant Yoshitha Rajapaksa at the Navy Headquarters for over five hours from nine in the morning on Saturday (30) before his arrest.

Case filed against using Abhayaramaya for political work

A lawsuit was yesterday filed against the Chief Incumbent of the Abhayarama Viharaya Ven. Muruththettuwe Ananda Thera seeking an order preventing him from utilising the temple property for political and trade union activities.

When the case came up before Colombo District Judge K.D. Gunasekara, notices and injunction notices were issued on the defendant to establish the facts regarding the plaint on February 15. The lawsuit had been filed by Ven. Pathberiye Wimala Gnana Thera and he cited Ven. Muruththettuwe Ananda Thera as the defendant.

The plaintiff stated that he has hereditary right to claim for the post of Viharadhipathi at the Abhayaramaya temple. The plaintiff said he has already filed a case in the Colombo District Court against Ven. Muruththettuwe Ananda Thera claiming his hereditary rights for the Viharadhipathi post in the temple.

The petitioner alleged that the properties of the Abhayarama Temple including the buildings and premises are being used by political parties and trade unions to gain political advantage in a manner that brought disrepute to the temple.

He said all these activities have taken place with the consent of Ven. Muruththettuwe Ananda Thera and thereby he sought an injunction order preventing Ven. Ananda Thera from utilising the temple property for political and trade union activities.