FCID probes Namal’s foreign assets

The Financial Crimes Investigation Division (FCID) informed the Additional Magistrate of Colombo Nishantha Pieris yesterday (22) that a special investigation has been launched into the foreign assets belonging to Member of Parliament Namal Rajapaksa.

The Police informed the Court that, this investigation is being launched based on facts that were revealed during an inquiry into suspect transactions carried out at the Share Market while Namal Rajapaksa was......a Member of Parliament previously, misusing his political powers.

Police also told the Court that investigations are being carried out according to the Money Laundering Act regarding N. R. Consultants and Gowers Corporate Services, which belonged to Namal Rajapaksa and the Directors of these companies.

Accordingly, investigations regarding the assets and liabilities, details of bank accounts and foreign assets the suspects possess are being carried out.

The Court was also told by the Police, that investigations were being conducted into transactions appearing in invoices of these companies and that action has been taken to call for detailed reported from foreign companies as well in connection with some of these transactions.

Police also informed the Court that, investigations are being continued into a person named Ahamed Al-Saman who is wanted.

The Court was informed that investigations were being carried out on how Namal Rajapaksa earned the Rs 50 million which he paid to purchase the private company N. R. Consultants and the Police said that because this particular individual has not presented himself for investigations; further investigative work has been obstructed.

The FCID also told the Court that they have a suspicion that this individual is not returning to this country due to the influence of the main suspect in this incident, Member of Parliament Namal Rajapaksa.

Department of Immigration & Emigration moves to Battaramulla

The Department of Immigration and Emigration will move to ‘Suhurupaya’, Battaramulla on August 29, the Government Information Department announced. 

The Information Department website announced that services would not be available at the Department of Immigration and Emigration in Colombo, Kandy, Matara and Vavuniya on August 26.

It announced that the ‘one-day-service’ for issuing passports would not be available on August 29, while the issuance of visas, passport alterations and matters relating to citizenship will only be available on a limited basis. Passenger clearance at airports and ports will be available as per usual on August 26 and 29, it said.

Lakshman Yapa appointed Matara District SLFP leader

SLFP bigwig and State Minister of Finance Lakshman Yapa Abeywardene was appointed as the party leader for Matara District by President Maithripala Sirisena today. 

The post was previously held by MP Dullas Alahapperuma, who resigned on Friday. Minister Abeywardene was given the letter of appointment by the President at the President’s Secretariat today.

Namal and Nithya granted bail in Hello Corp case

UPFA MP Namal Rajapaksa, Sudarshana Bandara and Nithya Senani Samaranayake, who were arrested by the FCID over the inquiry conducted under the Money Laundering Act, were today released on bail by the Colombo Additional Magistrate Nishantha Peiris.

They were released on cash bail of Rs. 100,000 with four sureties of Rs. ten million each for every suspect.

They were arrested by the FCID into the inquiry over alleged two transactions worth Rs. 45 million in connection with purchasing Rs. 100 million worth shares of HelloCorp using alleged ill-gotten funds of Gowers Corporation, which headed by MP Rajapaksa.

FCID probes Anarkalli & Rosie’s daughter

The FCID is investigating ex-MP and actress Anarkalli Akarsha and Thisakya Maya Senanayake, daughter of former minister Rosie Senanayake, who were among the organizing team of the 2013 CHOGM in Sri Lanka.

Former supervising MP Sajin Vaas Gunawardena oversaw the organizing of the event, and had a separate office to run its affairs.

Questions have been raised as to how Anarkalli, presently in the US, had acquired funds to build a hotel in Koggala.Investigations so far have revealed that MP Namal Rajapaksa had given a state land to her to construct the hotel, FCID sources say.

Also, she has been given a television transmission license.

The FCID is also to investigate the deals done through Anarkalli by businessman Nahil Weerasuriya, who has had close connections with her mother.

Thisakya has a degree on fashion from London College of Fashion.

‘Untouchable problem’ for cops

Maharagama police anti-narcotic sleuths have come across a huge problem as heroin smugglers have resorted to transporting the banned substance inside women’s bras. As a result policemen need to be accompanied by women police constables.

The police, acting on a tip-off nabbed a woman at the Perakum Mawatha, Maharagama last Sunday and a subsequent search yielded 900 grams of heroin inside her bra. The 50-year old suspect was later produced before Nugegoda Magistrate and remanded.

Maharagama police nabbed three other women with heroin concealed in their bras.

Maharagama OIC Chief Inspector Upali Thalagala said he had instructed the special raids unit of the police to increase the number of WPCs working with them so as to counter the latest ruse employed by drug dealers.

Sri Lanka now the Hub of Cricket in Asia

In a momentous occasion in Sri Lanka's cricketing history, the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) announced that it has established its Head Office at Maitland Crescent, Colombo 7, at a high profile event on 20 August 2016. 

The occasion was graced by Dayasiri Jayasekera, Minister of Sports and Ravi Karunanayake, Minister of Finance as Chief Guest and Guest of Honour respectively, in the presence of other eminent personalities. 

The decision of the ACC to set up its permanent address in Sri Lanka was facilitated by overwhelming support from Sri Lanka Cricket and the Government of Sri Lanka, both of which helped pave the way for ACC's entry into Sri Lanka.

This move will strengthen Sri Lanka's position as the nerve centre for the sport in the Asian region by uniting the region's membership base of 25 countries to work towards global prosperity of the sport.


The President of ACC and Sri Lanka Cricket, Thilanga Sumathipala, commenting on the historic occasion welcomed the Asian Cricket Council to Sri Lanka, saying it marks a new and exciting chapter for the sport in the region which will simultaneously have a positive impact on the game in Sri Lanka as well.

Three die in head-on collision

Three people died when a three wheeler collided head on with a private bus at Kohombagahapelassa in Tissamaharamaya yesterday afternoon.

All three who lost their lives were travelling in the three wheeler.

The incident occurred at around 2.20 p.m. yesterday along the Tissamaharamaya-Kataragama road. The bus carrying a group of pilgrims were returning from Kataragama when the three wheeler which came from the opposite direction collided head-on.

The victims were residents of Kohombagahapelassa.

Tissamaharamaya Police is investigating.