Corruption cases against Gotabaya Rajapaksa currently in court considerably dampen enthusiasm over his recent tirade against public sector corruption.
Gotabaya Rajapaksa
Gotabaya, who is widely expected to run for President, speaking at a Viyathmaga event last Sunday (14th) underlined pubic sector corruption as one of the factors that need urgent attention. He was unveiling his ‘Vision 2030’ which is essentially a policy statement of Viyathmaga, an organization many believe was put together to promote Rajapaksa’s probable candidacy.
The following are three questions that Rajapaksa no doubt would have to answer at some point in his campaign:
a) As the Chief Accounting Officer of the Defence Ministry, did he not know that there was a US $ 7 million difference between the Government of Sri Lanka’s payment to Bellimissa Holdings (a non existent company) said to be in UK and Bellimissa Holdings’ payment to Ukrinmarsh, the Ukraine government arm that sold the MiGs?
b) What happened to the file connected with this purchase which was in the custody of the Sri Lanka Air Force that has since gone missing?
c) Why is he not facing Court to answer these charges but resorting to delaying tactics ?
Related posts:
Academic Exposing Corrupt War Procurement Tender Process Threatened By Rajapaksa Government (December 07, 2013 Colombo Telegraph)
The Rajapaksa Government has commenced a campaign to threaten and intimidate Sri Lankan academic Dr. Thrishantha Nanayakkara who exposed for the first time the tender procedure about the controversial MiG 27 purchase by the Defence Ministry in an article he wrote in the Colombo Telegraph recently.
Dr. Thrishantha Nanayakkara
Dr. Nanayakkara’s family in Sri Lanka have been visited by military intelligence officials who have urged him to stop writing, the Colombo Telegraph learns. He has since de-activated his Facebook account.
Repeated attempts made by Colombo Telegraph to reach Dr. Nanayakkara have proved futile.
Dr. Nanayakkara is a Senior Lecturer at the King’s College London, where he is attached to the Centre for Robotics Research. As an ex-academic at the University of Moratuwa, Dr. Nanayakkara has served on the technical evaluation committees at the Defence Ministry run by President Rajapaksa’s brother Gotabaya Rajapaksa.
The controversial MiG 27 deal was first revealed by Sunday Times Defence Correspondent and Senior Journalist Iqbal Athas in December 2006 and further exposed in The Sunday Leader then edited by murdered Editor Lasantha Wickrematunge.
Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa filed legal action against The Sunday Leader newspaper to prevent further exposure of the corrupt deal. The investigative reports on the MiG deal proved to be one of the last reports on controversial defence purchases under Gotabhaya Rajapaksa’s reign in Sri Lanka’s mainstream press.
In a recent article published in the Colombo Telegraph, Dr. Nanayakkara claimed that the Ministry of Defence calls on academics to sit on Technical Evaluation Committees for defence purchases, gives them less than 24 hours to review documentation and then finally blames academics when things begin to go wrong.
In his latest article, Dr. Nanayakkara notes that it was very unfortunate that the Ministry of Defence itself took to exposing the names of professionals and the recommendations of those TECs when things went wrong. “It seemed to us that the professionals who were kept in the darkness whole throughout the TEC process were just used as a cleansing shield in the event things go wrong. I am not alone in this concern. One can check with any academic in the University system in Sri Lanka on this,” he explains.
Responding to the fraud said to have taken place when purchasing MIG 27 fighters for Sri Lanka Air Force, the Ministry of Defence exposed the names of the Technical Evaluation Committee.
To read all about the MiG deal click here
prem / May 17, 2018
gota and his gang is dreaming their dreams will be shattered when Basil come forward. Mahinda will have to support Basil. He is already supporting Basil with SLPP. Gota would have been an ideal candiate for colombo mayor
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BSP / May 18, 2018
Also listen to the speech of Godahewa (who is on bail on corruption charges). I am sure GR read the script written for Godahewa and Goda. read the script written for GR
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Rajash / May 18, 2018
Gota’s “‘Vision 2030″…I want to be the richest man on earth…ever.
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Eagle Eye / May 18, 2018
People do not care who or how MIG fighter jets were acquired. That was a big story for traitors like Lasantha, Keith. What matters to them is MIG fighter jets played a role in eliminating Demala racist fascist terrorists. During Chandrika’s time Billions of Dollars were spent with no result. But no bugger talks about those corruptions. Now she has become ‘Queen of Reconciliation’ and no more ‘Chaura Regina’. The person who produced results and brought peace is branded as a ‘Rogue’.
Of course no one can expect a positive comment from LTTE supporters because Rajapakses gave the biggest blow to their pride that they find difficult to accept.
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NAK / May 18, 2018
a) How can a non-existent company (Belimissa) make payment US$ 7 Mn short?
Ridiculous is the only way to explain the above claim.
One of the above claims can not be true as a non-existent company can not make any payments.
Either the ‘non-existent’ has to be false or the 7 Mn short payment has to be false.
If the ‘non- existent’ is false and actually a payment has been made by the Belimissa to Ukrinemarsh, it is a transaction between them and why should Gotabhaya answer to that. It is the responsibility of the Ukranian government to find out who cheated them for US$ 7Mn.
On the other hand if the ‘US $ 7Mn short’ is false and Belimissa is actually a non-existent company, then,Since we have got the choppers we paid for, again it is up to the Ukrenian government to look into find out what happened to the payment for the sale they made to Sri Lanka !
b)The file pertaining to this sale was handed over to the Mount Lavinia district court for the case against Lasantha wickramatunga in which Gotabhaya claimed Rs.500 Mn in damages and Lasantha was let off lightly only with an unconditional apology.
c)He is not delaying in facing charges. He has already been charged in the Magistrate court and he is facing those charges. He is only delaying him being arrested unlawfully by lawful means.
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Vimalawathi / May 18, 2018
What Bullshit is this? People writing articles about a No 1 Criminal and Fraudster in the Country being portrayed as the next President – My Foot. Maybe even he doesn’t know how many people he fed his Sharks. Took ransom from Rich Tamils in Colombo and thousands of innocents were killed in N&E. We believe in GOD and very soon the GOD” curseth will be upon him and a few others like SAK Kili maharaja, Rs 100 gommanpila, viagra vimal, maithree g, shiral l, chathurika s,namal and yoshitha, basil….
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Isharath / May 18, 2018
Ranil, Gota or you bring in Mahathir to rule SL, this country is going to remain the same and this is what a country with full of educated and uneducated idiots with low IQ deserves. Remember, we got the largest state sector in the world, and it is growing with pride.
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Muslim / May 18, 2018
Where are the Sri Lankans going Gotabaya Rajapaksha is a man known for killings
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charles / May 23, 2018
why your guys are so worried.
Sri Lanka guy like him. A person who cares about the country. Whether you like it or not that is why majority of Sri Lankans wants him. That what matters at the end. Not a guy like Ranil.
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