12 November, 2024

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Chief Opposition Whip Condemns TISL’s ‘Integrity’ Award, Calls For Explanation

The chief opposition whip Anura Kumara Dissanayake has today condemned Transparency International Sri Lanka’s genuineness in awarding this year’s “integrity” award to the former editor and the forever chairman of the Ravaya Guarantee Limited Victor Ivan.

Anura

Anura

Speaking to Colombo Telegraph the outspoken MP and JVP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake asked “how on earth could Transparency International grant this award to Victor Ivan who has been involved in much corruption himself besides being a person who has no integrity at all. The word integrity is not just about ‘genuineness’, it is much beyond that. This recipient’s character and practice is far beyond that and there is no way he could be even included in this category”.

According to the Cambridge dictionary “integrity” means: “the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles that you refuse to change”.

“Victor Ivan just prior to being granted the title even backtracked and started repaying monies he had swindled from Ravaya newspaper supporters. He is also accused of defrauding the Employees Provident Fund and Employees Trust Fund besides also defrauding the Department of Income Tax for over Rs 12 million. These are well established facts, as far as I know and these issues are currently being investigated” the chief opposition whip went on to tell Colombo Telegraph.

Being the Chairman of the Ravaya and also as its editor during the Rajapaksa regime, week after week, Victor Ivan wrote full page articles to attack Rajapaksa critics, he went on to write that Mahinda and his sons, Basil and Gotabaya were not corrupt and that the allegations made by other journalists were not true.

“So I urge Transparency International to clarify the basis that this decision was made to endow Victor Ivan this award and divulge who were the other nominees and also who were the judges who made this decision on an urgent basis” he said.

Related posts;

Victor Ivan Pocketed Half Of Rāvaya’s Rs 10 Million Fund

Rāvaya ‘Staff-Shareholders’ Clueless About Ivan’s Rs 5 Million Heist

I Got Just Rs 1000 For My Share, Says Rāvaya Founder Director And Deputy Editor Colambage

Sajin Vass’ Restaurant Tip Same As ‘Hashish’ Ivan’s Salary

Ivan Must Return The Bucks He Took: Supporters Including 73 Year Old Pensioner Demand

Ivan’s Rs 5 Million Heist Goes To Fraud Bureau

Ranil Hits Sixers Off Full-Tosses Bowled By Fraudster

Rāvaya Backtracks, Starts Paying Back Swindled Contributors

Transparency International Gives Integrity Award To Accused Media Swindler

Latest comments

  • 14
    4

    Way to go, Anura / JVP!

    TISL must explain or justify its very questionable decision to award a proven swindler and partisan (so-called) ‘journalist’ this prestigious prize for ‘integrity’.

    Either that, or forever be regarded as hypocritical organization not worth paying attention to.

    Withdrawing the award would be the best option – next to the resignation of the panel.

    • 8
      3

      AKD,
      you are spot on. Every right thinking ones would agree with you here.

      I have never seen SO CALLED PEOPLE s voice – Viktor Ivon calling a spade a spade at the time Mr Medamulana was looting and rooting the nation. Why the people still support Ivon et al is my question for which I have been awaiting responses so that long.

      • 2
        3

        Victor Ivan aka Podi Athula is not he same man who was during the time he was in the company of my late friend Suranjith Hewamana during ‘Counterpoint’ days.
        He has completely changed his style and outlook like Vasideva .
        He has become greedy and do not be surprised if he morphs the style Wimalwansa. .

    • 2
      1

      why should TI give an award to a swindler when there are patriotic senior journalists like Bandula Jayasekara, Mahinda Ilepuruma , Hudson Samarasinha and many others.

  • 4
    11

    What a clown.

    TSIL had the balls to say Singapore Mahendran is a crook.

    What did Kumra say even before getting that Limo from the Tamil nationalist Outfit TNA?…

  • 10
    1

    What is the big deal. They looked for Rajpal Abeynayake, He was their first choice. He was not to be found near Lake House. So they selected Ivan the Bandit King.

    If you do have Old King, you get new King! If you do not see Rajpal Abeynayake Ivan is there. What is the big deal?

    • 2
      0

      Mallaiyuran

      “If you do have Old King, you get new King! If you do not see Rajpal Abeynayake Ivan is there. What is the big deal?”

      … and if you do not see Ivan, there is Bandula Jayasekera (BIJAY). Unfortunately Bijay is drowning his sorrows with Yasara, his former deputy, tying the knot recently !

  • 7
    4

    All JVPers either present or past are crooks. The JVP had been in active politics for more than five decades. What have they achieved?.Nothing; except self aggrandizement. Whom did we saw all these years? It is Anurakumara, Tilvin, Sunil, Wasantha, Lalkantha,Nipunaarachchi, Watagala, and another one or two and vice versa.We have not seen any other leaders emerging and they will not allow a secondary leadership emerging. Just see what happened to their former leader’s wife and children. The JVP will die a natural death.

    • 1
      0

      Former JVP leader’s children must be grown ups and having a job. Why is she mourning now. Wijeweera was a murderer. People in Colombo are not aware of the atrocities in the rural areas during 88/89. They were a ruthless group. Only fault of the victims they were UNPers. In my village they killed a man because he was a drunkard

    • 0
      0

      you have already named 06 to 07 people as upcoming leaders of JVP and you want more,.
      funny guy –

  • 3
    0

    One need not take these award donors seriously. Just imagine Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Price without even waiting for his performances. An associate of the so called TISL is in record for defrauding funds to investigate fraud. Anura Dissanayake’s quest ‘how on earth’ endorses the credibility of TISL. How on earth?

  • 7
    2

    Dear chief opposition whip Anura Kumara Dissanayake

    “Speaking to Colombo Telegraph the outspoken MP and JVP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake asked “how on earth could Transparency International grant this award to Victor Ivan who has been involved in much corruption himself besides being a person who has no integrity at all. The word integrity is not just about ‘genuineness’, “

    Thank you Sir, for exposing this Double Standard.

    The same question by the Norwegian Public, when Henry Kissinger was awaited by the Nobel Peace Prize Committee of the Norwegian Parliament to Henry Kissinger, the War Criminal, the man behind so many killings.

    “Victor Ivan just prior to being granted the title even backtracked and started repaying monies he had swindled from Ravaya newspaper supporters.///”

    Transparency International is engaging in Corruption and abetting Corruption. Corruption is the abuse of entrusted power for private gain. It can be classified as grand, petty and political, depending on the amounts of money lost and the sector where it occurs.

    Shame on you Double Speak, “Transparency” International.

    • 2
      0

      Dear chief opposition whip Anura Kumara Dissanayake

      Based on new information as to why the award was given to Victor Ivan, given below, Amarasiri need to take back the comment.

      One need to be factual about criticism. If new data do not confirm the allegations, then the original opinion needs to be changed.

      This is the scientific Method.

      “Ivan not only publishes her story, but goes on to write a series of articles exposing the judge. The then Attorney General refuses to take action. Undeterred, Ivan exposes the cover up forcing the Judicial Services Commission to appoint a tribunal to investigate. The judge is found guilty but gets off with the light ‘punishment’ of ‘compulsory leave with pay’. Later, when moves to make the Attorney-General the Chief Justice came to be known, Ivan wrote a book about the failure of the justice system. He insisted then that it was wrong and unethical to appoint as Chief Justice a man who was accused of wrongdoing, was being investigated and as at that point yet to be cleared.”

      “Victr Ivan MaithripalaOne doesn’t need to watch this documentary to know of Victor Ivan’s efforts to champion the cause of justice. There have been occasions when he got it all wrong, once even leading to the suicide of a police officer falsely accused. The intention, however, was not malicious. By and large Victor has been the voice for the voiceless, he has given space for those denied proper representation and has consistently argued for transformation of structures and procedures to ensure justice, accountability and transparency.”

      “Perhaps it is all this that prompted Transparency International Sri Lanka (TISL) to give Victor Ivan an ‘Integrity Award’ as part of the celebrations to mark the World Anti-Corruption Day. The other recipient, posthumously of course, was ardent good governance advocate the late Ven Maduluwawe Sobitha Thero.”

  • 3
    1

    Victor Ivan is proved cheat. His Ravaya, a Company incorporated with the guarantee status, cannot indulge in abuse of public funds contributed in good faith to maintain Ravaya newspaper.

    The Registrar of Companies has refused to accept the bogus share issue by Ravaya, allocating shares worth over 13 million rupees, and now the Ravaya file is with the Registrar as the fraud bureau is investigating the matter.

    Ivan cannot simply escape the liability with refund of only Rs 100,000/- to one donor, who exposed this gross abuse of donor’s money of over 12 million rupees.

    There is no compromise; Ivan should make an unqualified admission of guilt to all donors who believed what Ravaya said and made contributions maintain the newspaper.

    • 0
      1

      Very same journalist FAILED to continue the second part of the CHAORA RAJJYA- wonders me.. if the man is that moral – he should have bought this long ago. To this day- those who created all supportive acts to strenghten the hands of Meeharaka Rajapakshe is being caught now. I wonder why the kind of journalists still have a voice inthis country – either readers are fully stupid or they dont care about the checks and balances of anything – or facts of any issue.

      Good luck to lanka so long these people are the predominant fraction of the nation.

  • 0
    1

    Looking at the things that are happening in all these social fields that have become the “Domain” of the “Protectors”, it has become an urgent task; but of course a DAUNTING ONE to PROTECT those areas from the very “PROTECTORS”. What an unpalatable “SOUP” is this?

  • 2
    1

    I have been a regular reader. But I was disgusted about there reporting of the final war. In those days I wondered how victor was alive at that time. If the reporting was due to fear of death it is alright.

    Lastly it is difficult to find “paramadarshi” people at this point of time.

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