FCID investigates financial fraud at SLC

The Financial Crimes Investigations Division (FCID) of the Police has commenced investigations against seven individuals over financial fraud said to have taken place at Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) since 2010.

The accused include former Sports Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage

Filing a fact report before Colombo Additional Magistrate Nishantha Peiris, the FCID informed Court that they had recorded statements from two officials including the financial head of the SLC, in this regard.

Chairman of the Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) and JVP Parliamentarian Sunil Handunnetti had earlier lodged a complaint against former Sports Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage, former SLC chairman Nishantha Ranatunga and former SLC interim committee members D.S. de Silva, Sujeewa Rajapaksha, Kalinga Indatissa, Asantha Chandana Seneviratne and Prabath Fonseka.

In his complaint, Hadunnetti said COPE had initiated an investigation in this regard and found several financial irregularities, which include the sale of tickets during the 20/20 Word Cup Cricket Tournament in 2012, paying salaries and allowances to the former Sports Minister’s private secretary and an allocation of Rs. 20 million to cricket clubs by the former SLC secretary.

Hadunnetti urged the police to investigate the reports that the former SLC Secretary Nishantha Ranatunga had engaged in 17 foreign tours while holding position of secretary of the SLC.

The Additional Magistrate directed the FCID to conduct further investigations into the matter and report to Court on September 26.

Speaker Karu Jayasuriya signs OMP Bill

Speaker Karu Jayasuriya this morning, placed his signature on the Office on Missing Persons Bill, officially certifying it to law.

The Bill was passed in Parliament, with amendments on August 11.The Speaker had also certified the Fiscal Management (Responsibility) Amendment Bill today, the media division reported.

The Acts come into force with the endorsement of the Speaker.

Speaker Karu Jayasuriya this morning, placed his signature on the Office on Missing Persons Bill, officially certifying it to law.

The Bill was passed in Parliament, with amendments on August 11.

The Speaker had also certified the Fiscal Management (Responsibility) Amendment Bill today, the media division reported.

The Acts come into force with the endorsement of the Speaker.

Mahinda says anyone has a right to form new party

Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday said nobody had a right to prevent the formation of new political parties.

Rajapaksa, addressing the Samurdhi officers at their 19th annual convention at the Samurdhi hall, Battaramulla said that it did not mean that he was planning to form a new party. However, threats and intimidation should not be directed against those who wanted to form new parties.

He said the government had become a pawn of the western powers and was bent on privatising state ventures and suspending the development projects launched by the previous administration.

"It is also deviating from Bandaranaike policies," he said.

The incumbent government had come to power only for a two year period and now they had decided to extend the pact for five years, Rajapaksa said.

The former President said "We didn’t fight the Tamils or Muslims. The fight was against the terrorists and we created an environment to live as one nation, one country."

The previous government had re-habilitated over 12,500 people and restored the infrastructure destroyed by the 30-year conflict. "We developed the Jaffna Hospital and there are 10 surgical wards on a single floor", he said.

The percentage of students entering the Jaffna University had increased and the standard of education in the north had reached a higher level, the former President said.

He said the Sirisena-Wickremesinghe alliance had come to power promising a change, but it had failed to deliver.

Rajapaksa said even former Presidents J. R. Jayewardene and Ranasinghe Premadasa had also bellowed rhetoric towards the end of their governments.

"I have no hatred or anger. The incumbent government should work with more restraint," he said.

"It is a right of the working class to strike and it is wrong to assault them," Rajapaksa said.

Pakistan rise to No. 1 in Test rankings

Pakistan has topped the ICC Test Team Rankings for the first time after wet ground at the Queen Park Oval, Port of Spain, denied India the opportunity to defend the top spot which it had reclaimed from Australia on 17 August.

The result of the fourth and final Test means India won its series against the West Indies by 2-0, finishing on 110 points – one behind Pakistan and two ahead of third-ranked Australia.

Following the Sri Lanka-Australia series, India had needed to win the Port of Spain Test to retain the number-one Test ranking.

India had entered the series on 112 points, 44 points ahead of eighth-ranked West Indies. And because the rankings are weighted to reflect this difference, India's failure to win by a better margin has resulted in it dropping two points and the West Indies earning two points.

The Port of Spain Test has also brought down curtains on what has been highly competitive and entertaining six weeks of Test cricket in four different parts of the globe which saw the ICC Test Team Rankings top spot change hands three times inside five days.

(ICC)

For Pakistan, Misbah-ul-Haq's side has become only the fifth team after Australia, England, India and South Africa to top the ICC Test Rankings since these were introduced in 2003.

Dinesh Chandimal undergoes CAT scan

"Sri Lanka Vice-Captain Dinesh Chandimal has undergone a CAT scan and is awaiting results after the severe blow to his ribs in the first ODI against Australia," said Team Manager Charith Senanayake yesterday.

According to Senanayake, the X-ray which was taken on the match day itself had not revealed any damage, but as a precaution they had gone for a CAT scan just to make sure he is out of danger.

Chandimal was the backbone of the Sri Lanka total when he scored an unbeaten 80 runs batting through the innings in pain as wickets fell at regular intervals.

Chandimal was hit on the ribs by a delivery off Moises Henriques in the 42nd over of the match, as he came down the track and Henriques reacted with an off-cutter that dug into the pitch and leapt up at the batsman. Chandimal was trying to play across the line when he was struck on his ribs. He went down immediately and got physiotherapist attention, but it was clear he was playing through pain during the rest of his innings and he was sent for medical attention while Kusal Perera took over the duties behind the wickets.

Chandimal was affected by dehydration in the last Test match too, and he did not take the field during Australia's second innings though he came out to bat in the second innings and scored 43 runs following his match saving eight hours marathon of 132 runs in the first innings.

Millionaire businessman abducted in Bambalapitiya

Two Police teams have launched separate probes into the disappearance of 29-year-old businessman, Mohammad Sulaiman.

Sulaiman went missing on the night of 21 August from near his house, at Kotalawela Avenue in Colombo 4, Police sources said.

According to the Police the businessman had attended a wedding on 21 August night and had then informed his wife from his cell phone that he was on his way home at around 11 p.m.

But when Sulaiman's wife opened the front gate to their house, she had spotted his car with its front door opened but her husband missing.

She had then alerted the Police and they recovered the businessman's cell phone, along with a parcel of food, from the floor near the front seat of the car.

According to the Police they had also spotted a few blood stains near the gate suggesting that there may have been a fight.

Police said the missing businessman was known as a big-time textile merchant in Colombo.Already teams from the Colombo Crimes Division (CCD) and Bambalapitiya Police have been deployed to carry out two separate probes into the disappearance.

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.