Thirukumar Nadesan arrested

Thirukumar Nadesan who arrived at the Police FCID earlier this morning was arrested a short while ago. 

Thirukumar Nadesan arrived at the Police FCID, in order to provide a statement regarding the 16 acre plot of land in Malwana, over which there is a pending court case at the Pugoda Magistrate’s Court.

Last week, court ordered that the land be auctioned off after it was revealed that former minister Basil Rajapaksa was not the legal owner of the said plot of land.

Did Kavisha commit suicide over love affair?

Suicide over a love affair is being looked at as a possibility in the death of young actress Kavisha Ayeshani, who died after her car crashed into a parked bus in the early hours of last morning (16).

Just before the fatal crash, she had got involved in a quarrel with her lover, the owner of a leading karaoke club, and left saying she would crash her vehicle, lankacnews reports.

The karaoke owner has close connections with politicians and the police.

Police investigating the incident have arrested the driver of the bus, leading to further suspicion.

CCTV footage clearly shows Kavisha crashing her car into the parked bus.

Bank’s legal officer in sexual harassment case

A legal officer in a State bank had been accused of sexually abusing two women employees in the same office.

The two victims have already lodged a complaint with the Mirihana Police, the Police said.According to one of the victims the suspect had accused the victims of filing petitions to the management against him and threatened them.

“He came so close to me almost leaning against my body and abused me while scolding me with filth. This is despite me explaining to him that we have not filed any petitions against him,” one complaint said.

“We were compelled to lodge a complaint with the Police as he had been verbally abusing women employees at the Bank branch,” the complaint said. (Yohan Perera)

Daily power cuts till Friday: CEB

The Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) announced that three-and-a-half hour daily power cuts would be imposed till Friday (21) with effect from today due to a breakdown at the Norochcholai Coal Power Plant.

CEB Spokesman Sulakshana Jayawardana said the country had been divided into four zones and power supply would be disrupted for two-and-a-half-hour during the daytime and one hour in the evening for each zone.

However, he said the power cut would not be imposed in Colombo, at hospitals and Industrial zones.

Actress Kaveesha Ayeshani Dies In Motor Accident

Tele-drama actress Kaveesha Ayeshani was killed in an accident last night, police said. The accident occurred when the car she was driving collided with a bus at Jubilee Post, Nugegoda.

Ayeshani succumbed to her injuries after she was admitted to the Colombo South Teaching Hospital, Kalubowila. She was 25.

Sirisena Meets Modi In Goa

Arriving in Goa on Saturday night, Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena held a bilateral meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, ahead of the BRICS-Bimstec Outreach Summit.

"A friend comes to India...glad to have President @MaithripalaS visit India for the BRICS-BIMSTEC Outreach Summit," Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted soon after Sirisena landed at Dabolim Airport.

Earlier on Saturday, Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' and his Bhutanese counterpart Tshering Tobga reached Goa for the summit.

As host of this year's Brics (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) Summit, India, as is the practice, can invite neighbouring countries to join in for an outreach summit.

Following last month's cross-border terror attack on an Indian Army camp at Uri in Jammu and Kashmir that claimed the lives of 19 Indian soldiers, India chose to invite countries belonging to the Bimstec grouping over those of Saarc.

Countries belonging to the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (Bimstec) are India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Myanmar, Thailand and Sri Lanka.

New Delhi blamed Pakistan-based terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed for the Uri attack and launched a diplomatic blitz to isolate Islamabad in the international community.

The invitation to Bimstec countries instead of the Saarc countries is being seen as another step in this direction.

Pakistan, Afghanistan and Maldives are the members of the South Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) that are also not members of Bimstec.

Following the Uri attack, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also pulled out of this year's Saarc Summit that was scheduled to be held in Islamabad in November citing Pakistan's state sponsorship of terrorism as the reason. Afghanistan and Bangladesh too followed suit citing the same reason.

FCID to file fresh case against BASIL

The Financial Crimes Investigation Division (FCID) will conclude more investigations very soon and frame a new charge sheet against former Minister of Economic Development Basil Rajapaksa in connection with the super-luxury Rs 240 million house in Pugoda.

This comes in a sequel to two witnesses making statements in the Pugoda Magistrate's Court last Friday disowning the newly constructed Rs 240 million luxury house, and to the contrary stating that the house under reference is in fact owned by former Minister of Economic Development Basil Rajapaksa.

Muditha Jayakody, the architect who drew the plan for the house, told the magistrate that he is not the owner of the property, although the deeds were in his name. He claimed the real owner of the house was Rajapaksa and that it was Rajapaksa who exclusively funded its planning and construction.

The building contractor, Ramawickrema of Kadawatha, also claimed that Rajapaksa paid for the construction.

The FCID interviewed Rajapaksa following these two statements in Court but Rajapaksa maintained denial of ownership.

Magistrate Ruwan Pathirana finally accepted the FCID's arguments and ordered seizure and sale of the property by auction, further ordering that the sale proceeds be deposited in the Treasury.

Case number B8674/15 MC Pugoda was filed by the FCID last year calling for an investigation into money laundering and to establish the ways and means whereby the former minister amassed such an inordinately huge income by which he constructed the Pugoda house.

Based on facts which have come to light to date, the FCID will now make further inquiries to establish true ownership of this house, an FCID official said.

Chief Inspector Ranasinghe and Sgt. Gunasekara appeared for the FCID.

Hambantota Port, Mattala Airport to be run as PPPs

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said yesterday that the Hambantota Port and Mattala Airport would be run as Public-Private Partnerships(PPPs) with Chinese Companies.

Addressing the convention of the Institution of Engineers in Colombo, the Prime Minister revealed that the sale of Hambantota Port would bring in USD one billion for the country.

"We are also working on a PPP with another Chinese Company for Hambantota Airport. As a result, a further amount would accrue to the country’s official reserves," he added.

Wickremesinghe said that both transactions would constitute non-debt creating FDI inflows which would help increase unencumbered official reserves significantly and have a more favourable impact on stabilising the exchange and interest rates than building up reserves using borrowed sources.

The increased reserves could also serve as a useful cushion in the context of the expected increase in US interest rates and other Global Financial Market Development, he noted.