Former Sri Lankan Ambassador to Washinton Jaliya Wickramasuriya, a first cousin of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, has been prosecuted in the US for five counts of charges ranging from wire fraud to immigration offences.
The case marks a new low in Sri Lankan foreign service as this is the first time a Sri Lankan diplomat is facing prosecution from the country he was posted to.
Jaliya and Mahinda
Wickramasuriya, a businessman by profession, served as the Sri Lankan Ambassador to Washington for six years, until the Rajapaksa family fell out of power in January 2015.
In an Exclusive story, Economy Next, quoting US Justice department documents said the Sri Lankan authorities were keen to ensure that the very serious nature of charges against Wickramasuriya were made public to prevent a Rajapaksa administration in Colombo restoring his diplomatic immunity to avoid prosecution.
Economy Next, quoting a US government document said, “In the last 10 days or so, there has been a change in the government of Sri Lanka. Several media outlets have referred to the matter as a constitutional crisis.
We have been advised by the United States officials in Sri Lanka that there will be a meeting to discuss and/or determine the immunity (of Wickramasuriya) issue on Sunday, November 11, 2018 and they believe that advising the Sri Lankan authorities of the fact that the defendant has been indicted will be of relevance and assistance in making their determination.”
Wickramasuriya was also arrested in late 2016 by the Police Financial Crimes Investigation Division over misusing state funds during his tenure in Washington.
JD / December 25, 2018
This is why Ministry of LAw and ORder was running very low and either Dummies and Foxes of foxes were ministering it.
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Rarityminds / December 25, 2018
Bravoooooooooooooooo…… thse men should all be pushed to hell.
Now the bathbalayos of Rajakshes would start spreading lies regarding these developments.
I wonder why MS-RW failed to get this Jaliya Wirkamasooriya back to lanka for the on going cases which have been filed against his high profile fund grabs.
And these sums are not to thousands of dolalrs but lack in US dollars.
How can LANKEN slaves go after Rajakshes remain thinking that Rajakshes and their relatives were clean.
We want justice is being served against these high crimes.
We the island nation could do lot more with the funds for the upliftment of the poor of poor that struggle for their 3 meals. It is reported that 42% of lankens live under poverty not even being able to have 2 dollars of income a day.
But Rajakshes and their kith and kin to continue with luxary life styles – greater curse.
These men are shameless buggers, the name of so called WAR victory they make efforts to manipulate the masses for their looting culture
May all gods be on our sides to punish these buggers with higher punishment possible … sooner than later. That is my message to the world at this last week of the year.
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Jay / December 25, 2018
?. Write in plain English so that everyone could understand what you say
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Amarasiri / December 25, 2018
Former Sri Lankan Ambassador to Washinton Jaliya Wickramasuriya,
RE New Low In Foreign Service: Rajapaksa’s First Cousin Ex-Ambassador Wickramasuriya Prosecuted In US On Five Counts
How come your First Cousin Former President, and Fake Prime Minister, Mahinda Rajapaksa, is not prosecuted in 500 counts in the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka?
Sirisena? Ranil?
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Babalathappu / December 25, 2018
I believe the democracy in India is much more powerful than that of ours.
Having listend to the following I understood, they the indians invite their high men to hold public speeches if they added pulic statements of Rajakshes nature – who constantly makes public statements about UNP getting closer to TNA (tamil parties) in order to damage the UNITARY style of lanken nation.
Here I see, lanken MEDIA performances are TOO weak.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owKoE1XPT2k
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JD / December 25, 2018
What does this say is Wickramsimasooriya will be given immunity to give evidence against Rajapakse. In that case, all kinds of Accusations against MR are FALSE. Because Even Ranil is a thief and Mangala is a TRAITOR who gets money from MCC. I here Rajpakse was asked about his corruptions. Rajapakse had said we have eqaually invested in your country (GOd vishnu)
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JD / December 25, 2018
I heard children of Sri lankan LAW and order Referrees livingOVerseas in that country were asked to live with their mouths shut, by their parents (Goddess Saraswathi and God Natha).
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Jay / December 25, 2018
What is this bunkum
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Burt / December 25, 2018
Worry not! Sirisena will come to his rescue. MR’s got the files on Sirisena.
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Mokade badu / December 25, 2018
So clear that the entire rajapakse clan are the biggest bunch of rogues and robbed the country with impunity. Pohottuwa criminals will now say that this is a usa conspiracy and the courts are influenced by ranil. We have been waiting too long in sl to see these rsfuksha bastards locked up and expect ranil tp do the right thing.
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Native Vedda / December 25, 2018
Mokade badu
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“So clear that the entire rajapakse clan are the biggest bunch of rogues and robbed the country with impunity.”
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Please bear with me I am bit thick.
I thought the Mahanayakes keep an effective oversight of everything that is happening in this island. How did they miss the rogues robbing the country with impunity while they control the constitution drafting process directly or indirectly and one of them appreciating and blessing Gota’s future role as a fascist leader of this island?
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justice / December 25, 2018
He was selected as fit for the post of ambassador by the Committee on High Posts on a day it was not due to meet, by a few of the members who were influenced, as he had no qualifications for selection, being only a tea trader.
He doled out large sums to entities to publish favourable articles on Sri Lanka and president Rajapakse.
His main business in USA was tea trading.
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Ajay / December 25, 2018
Next in line to be prosecuted in US are dual citizens who were behind the October 26 Coup.
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rajash / December 25, 2018
this is not new low for JD or Eagle Eye or Real Revolutionist or My3 or Mahinda or for that matter Ranil or the Maha Sngha……this is walk in the park for them…
this is the work of the Tamil Diaspora
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Chitra / December 25, 2018
Nepotism at it’s worst. This is the result of appointing your good for nothing relative, who had no clue about being ambassador, was not a career diplomat, and crooked, into a very prestigious job in a western nation. He has brought shame to this country.
We have so many educated, career diplomats, and the Rajapaksa’s once again think their relatives have magical powers to do jobs beyond their capabilities. Maybe he was helpful in money laundering ill gotten gains.
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Mallaiyuran / December 25, 2018
We still don’t have details of the changes. We know he was involved in a corruption that he misappropriated a building funded embassy by to personal use. This probably went beyond the diplomatic immunity as the fund was used is personal in nature. Hopefully we will come to those details eventually. Ranil’s administration might be planning to offer exchanges for Jalia, because Jalia may end up taking a defense that he misappropriated fund because of the order back from Old Royals. This may end up bringing to light any illegally funded assets of Old Royals in America. It is unlikely Ranil let this case go and get prosecuted. US might have used the opportunity the government-less situation to take action of Jalia, without any protests from Lanakwe. If so, then this get added to the losses for Old Royals incurred by the attempt to steal the goverment in Oct 26th.
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Thanga / December 25, 2018
Yet Mahinda Rajapaksa is still popular with the Sinhala – Buddhist supremacists and goes about the town flaunting his kurakkan shawal that he and his immediate family are speck and clean! The man has no sense of shame. If I were to be in his shoes I will go into hiding!
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Vijekumar / December 25, 2018
Many Tamils from Sri Lanka went to Singapore and Malaysia built the country and still movers and shakers are Tamils. We were were treated like Paraiah by the majority. Millions left as a refugees and their children are making more than 80 to 100 thousand in USA and Canada. It is a blessing in disguise. Diaspora. Tamils are going to be a headache for Sri Lanka eternally.
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Critical thinking / December 25, 2018
Now MR wants to back to do more fraud.
Now we know who are they ?
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Jay / December 25, 2018
Rajapaksa cultured a corruption while he was in power. It is not incorrect to say that he learnt from Premadasa. Killing all political enimies and clear his path to in power as long as possible.
The cohorts also followed the path . It is a massive task to reverse this trend. Only God can change. Let us hope today being Christmas.
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Kamal / December 25, 2018
Is there nobody in this clan, who doesn’t steal? Kleptomaniac clan!
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Analyst / December 25, 2018
These DIPLOMUTS ! Disgraced our country , Disgraced the Disgraced Family.
What more do we need ? Not only the Crook family Dominated the country , the Crook Uneducated family members who were sent abroad by the ” master thief ” to represent our country too have now been caught red handed Thieving .
All of them have fallen from grace , but still able to Wag their tails !! All because of the Modayas of Srilanka.
Sinhala Buddhist Modayas , and the so called Yellow robed Zombies never uttered a word of the Public thieving and Pilfering of state wealth.
It appears These Yellow Robed Monks receive the stolen goods and congratulate the STATE THIEVES for giving them the Luxurious life from state pilfered wealth. Hah! Hah! Hah!
Of course SLANKA is ranked as one of the most malnourished children found in the world.
When the thieves and murderers rules the country with the help of kind of Spiritualistic advisers giving wrong signals of Virtues of lives , we cannot expect anything better . The country is DOOMED FOR EVER.
Mind boggles indeed.
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Analyst / December 25, 2018
JD Are you drunk mate?
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rajash / December 25, 2018
Analyst: JD Are you drunk mate?
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Analyst : No! that is his normal level of intelligence
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Anonymous / December 25, 2018
The US must also prosecute that KUMBA HORRA basilR and Goatler who is a US citizen and has clearly given orders to assassinate journalist and political opponents and key witnesses of narcotics operations and also the underworld that ran a arms smuggling operation under Avant Garde with another “MAJOR” horra called NissankaS. Most of the Ali Babab Mahinda and his family have laundered money and hidden their ill gotten wealth that remains in Africa under various accounts. Avant Gard is a front that helps these bandits to hide their money. The JUstice department and the FBI should definitely open a front against these US citizens and residents as well for wire fraud, tax evasion and withholding their earning and wealth abroad.
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chiv / December 25, 2018
Did anyone expect anything different from Rajapaksa clan. They are all criminals and crooks. The difference is this fool tried doing it in U.S. In Lanka nothing matters. But in U.S. every thing matters regardless who you are. Even Trump is now being investigated for the same. So please do not waste time in crying foul.
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kolla / December 25, 2018
Rajapakse has no sense of decency. All that matters to him is political and other advantages, including socially uplifting his rural borderline family. Their social sophistication was obtained by migrating to USA. Weerataunga in Russia and this rascal in USA were an insult to this country.No body in the foreign service objected to any of this then.Wheeler Dealer Sajin Vass was MRs supervising minister for our foreign ministry ! No need to say anything more !
Ranil also is similar in a more complex way.With a few old boys operatives he manipulates everything. Just examine step by step how he went about the Bond scam and the cover-up later. In everything in that scam Ranil is seen as the mastermind.The rest of the UNP were clueless but blindly following the leader.
By the way, do you guys know Ranils agent for Chinese projects ? Two clues. He is also an old Royalists but younger. He is also from a minority community and is raking in billions from the energy sector.
For this shadowy businessman there is a dream team in place now -Ranil as PM and Ravi K as Minister for power and energy.Just examine the guys operating behind the power supply to the Port City project.
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craig / December 25, 2018
From the DM exposure of March 2018:
The US Authorities were in communication with the former Ambassador, Jaliya Wickramasuriya, about becoming a prosecution witness in an U.S. investigation into allegedly dubious financial transactions made by persons connected to the former First family. Surprisingly, the development came to light in a highly confidential e-mail sent by Wickramasuriya’s lawyer, in the US, to one of his lawyers in Sri Lanka. Through means that have yet to be ascertained, this confidential and legally privileged communication got into the hands of allies of the Rajapaksa family within a few days after it was received in Colombo. The information led to efforts by affected parties to persuade the Sri Lankan Government to assert diplomatic immunity for Wickramasuriya to prevent him from testifying in the US against the Rajapaksa family.
According to the ‘B’ Report (B 21/2016) submitted to the Fort Magistrate’s Court by the FCID Wickramasuriya is accused of having pocketed US$ 322,027.35 out of US $ 6.6 million) that was deposited to the Escrow account maintained by the Embassy of Sri Lanka, to purchase a building to house the Sri Lankan Embassy at No: 3025 Whitehaven Street, Washington DC 20008. US Government had requested the GoSL to recall Ambassador Wickramasuriya. He was then promptly appointed as ambassador to Canada who refused to accept his appointment. Wickramasuriya who was released on bail on March 18, 2017, later made a request from Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court to grant him permission to travel to the US for 3 months to undergo treatment for one of his eyes, which the Court turned down and ordered a report from the Director Eye Hospital Colombo to determine whether the illness can be treated in Sri Lanka.
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Analyst / December 25, 2018
@ Craig
Thanks for your investigative journalism!!
It all adds up to the secret. ” tête-à tête ” As per The big mouthed LOWYER NR donkey the son of State Robber MR’ s utterance that his father and the head less Sillisena had been in talks!! ( ie : the famous plot to kill Silly m3 and Billy Goat GR ) for the last 6 months in making of the FAKE PM AND FAKE GOVERNMENT.!!
How victorious he was the LOWYER NUT when he gave that stupid interview following the IDIOTIC coup d’etat staged by his moron father MR and the famous Silli the Sennna ??
All these dramas behind scenes were to PROTECT MARA & CO in SL and outside SL the extended family of Crooks of course!.
These are the Modayas of SL! So called Ruling family??
They will eventually not only drag them to Oblivion but will try to drag us people too to the total annihilation of Srilanka and its people.
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Plato. / December 25, 2018
I could understand if this guy was posted to Venezuela or some other Latin American country: But Washington? MaRa would have known that his first-cousin was a crook but he did not seem to mind.Drunk with Power!
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Josh Kirinde / December 25, 2018
When would the US have the backbone to arrest and prosecute Gotabhaya?
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Gamini Perera / December 25, 2018
Case Summary
1:18-cr-00120 All Defendants USA v. WICKRAMASURIYA
Date filed: 05/01/2018
Date of last filing: 12/21/2018
JALIYA CHITRAN WICKRAMASURIYA (1)
Office: Washington, DC Filed: 05/01/2018
County: 11001 Terminated: Reopened:
Other Court Case: None
Count: 1-2 Citation: 18:1343.F Offense Level: 4
18:1343; FRAUD BY WIRE, RADIO, OR TELEVISION; Wire Fraud.
Count: 3-4 Citation: 18:1956-7477.F Offense Level: 4
18:1956(a)(2)(A); LAUNDERING OF MONETARY INSTRUMENTS; Laundering of Monetary Instruments.
Count: 5 Citation: 18:1546.F Offense Level: 4
18:1546(a); FRAUD AND MISUSE OF VISAS/PERMITS; False Statement in Immigration Application.
Defendant Custody Status:
Flags: CALCOM,CAT B
Defendant: JALIYA CHITRAN WICKRAMASURIYA
Plaintiff: USA represented by Zia Mustafa Faruqui(Designation Assistant U.S. Attorney)
Phone: (202) 252-7117
Fax: (202) 514-9155
Email: zia.faruqui@usdoj.gov
Plaintiff: USA represented by Arvind K. Lal(Designation Assistant U.S. Attorney)
Phone: (202) 252-7965
Fax: (202) 616-2296
Email: arvind.lal@usdoj.gov
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Analyst / December 25, 2018
@Gamini Perera
Thanks for this exposure .
It’s clear now , how the Silli , Billy Goat and Moda Mara’s Plot came to birth when they found out of their situation similar to the ” Live Crabs put in Hot boiling water ” effect.
Well , not a happy ending is it???
2019 is dawning for the total annihilation of the family. Then only there will be Peace and Prosperity in Srilanka.
GOD IS GREAT. PLEASE GIVE US PEACE AND HAPPINESS TO THE PEOPLE OF THIS LAND , MINUS THESE THIEVES AND MURDERERERS AMONG US.
SHIP THEM TO CHINA. ASAP.
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Late Nath Amarakoon / December 25, 2018
His only qualification was that he was MR’s first cousin. Same applied to Udayanga
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rbh / December 25, 2018
This why the they are grabbing position hurriedly to the cover up job for the past , misusing state funds during his tenure, The drama started from Oct 26 and continues failure All those motivations that looking good more than doing good. leadership is leading to obsolete.
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Steve / December 25, 2018
Look at the picture – the former President with his eyes closed. He closed his eyes to corruption by his family, relatives, and cronies. Wants to come back to power to be on the “gravy train”.
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Rwkd / December 25, 2018
This explains why the president wants to cling on to law and order. To offer immunity and pardons from justice to all cronies of the president and mahinda rajapakse. And then he goes and complain that the unpers did not allow natural justice To take place! Some double standard.
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chiv / December 25, 2018
Today,s news Nawaz Sherrif , the ex PM send to prison for 7 years for corruption.If the rules are to be same Lankan prisons will overflow with politicians. And a new prison has to be built up just for the Rajapaksa clan , because there are thousands of them. But no worries, that situation will never arise in country like no other. MR had cut him off long before stating “this moron was too greedy??? and did not know how to cover the paper trail”.
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SKM / December 25, 2018
Mahinda’s first cousin involved in frauds? What lies? Ask Sirisena, he will vouch that the only fraud is bond fraud.
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