Three years since Ravaya and its Ravaya Solidarity group promised to issue shares to all of its contributors for monies collected, the would-be shareholders have been left with nothing but false promises, Colombo Telegraph reliably learns.
Victor Ivan
So far the Ravaya Solidarity group has collected 12.7 million rupees from the public.
Unsuspecting contributors were shocked beyond belief when it was revealed that monies collected to keep Ravaya afloat ended being pocketed by Victor Ivan, the former Editor of the newspaper.
It is confirmed that Victor Ivan so far has siphoned over Rs.5 million of the collected funds.
Colombo Telegraph actively supported the Ravaya Newspaper then by making appeals to the public to help its financial sustenance.
However Colombo Telegraph can now confirm that from the collected total funds only a selected few were granted shares by Ravaya Newspaper, even though shares were pledged to all contributors.
As far back as of August 2013 the editor of Colombo Telegraph Uvindu Kurukulasuriya forwarded a question which was posed by a potential contributor which is found below;
Forwarded email;
From: xxxxxx
Date: Sat, Aug 10, 2013 at 4:12 AM
Subject: Ravaya
To: xxxxxx
Dear Uvindu,
I saw the Ravaya for Diaspora announcement in the CT. But didn’t notice anything about shares. They mention contributions. What shall we do?
Friends I have talked to who are willing to support would like to know about shares
Stated below was Lawyer Udan Fernando‘s reply:
On 10 August 2013 09:46, Udan Fernando <udanferxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Uvindu,
as i told you when we met, the Articles are not yet finalized. the value of shares needs of to be determined. but there will certainly be a share issue. the details can be given soon.note that i will not have net access from this morn till 17 Aug.
regards
udan
The full correspondence of this thread of emails was also copied to Gamini Viyangoda, Kusal Perera and Chandra Jayaratne.
After Colombo Telegraph began exposing this fraud, the newspaper started to pay back monies they swindled from the public.
The first to receive his money was lawyer Nagananda Kodituwakku who had earlier reported this fraud to the Mirihana Police, the Registrar of Companies and also the Criminal Investigation Department.
Lawyer Kodituwakku was paid back his contributed sum of rupees one hundred thousand by cheque in full.
However other contributors who were swindled are still to be re-paid their monies.
Meanwhile one contributor who used to work as a Professor of the Political Science, University of Colombo and is now based in Australia, who contributed Rs 50,000 said “I was informed by the current director of Ravaya Gamini Viyangoda (who incidentally became a director after investing our money) that he would give me a receipt and shares as well for my contribution. I have received neither up to date. I simply don’t wish to wallow in this sordid cesspit. Please don’t quote me by name”.
Related;
Chief Opposition Whip Condemns TISL’s ‘Integrity’ Award, Calls For Explanation
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
Pandaranayagam / December 23, 2015
When those who pretend to be physicians claiming to be capable of curing a sick patient (Sri Lanka) you know you have reached the end of the road. Ivan is not the only one. Weliamuna, the former Transparency Int’l man and the latest Whistle-blower Nihal Amarasekera – did not fare too well either. This begs the question if Sri Lankans, at least a vast majority of them, are congenitally dis-honest. From what we have seen in the past 2 decades or so when Senior Ministers have sunk low to steal from the poorest of the poor – Samurdi receipients – you know this is not mischievous speculation.
I am not running the country down. I am merely provoking a national discussion. We have seen some of our PM’s engaged in shameful thievery. Let us be honest about it. It is time to shift the searchlight inwards.
Pandaranayagam
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Shrikharan / December 24, 2015
Pandaranayagam
“This begs the question if Sri Lankans, at least a vast majority of them, are congenitally dis-honest.”
I totally agree with you. We do not have any honest person left in the country and that is the truth. I see President Maithripala Sirisena’s problem in fulfilling his promise that he will reject all crooks in his Government if he was elected. We are now blaming him that he reelected the very people he promised to reject. The problem he was facing was to find “who is the honest person he could nominate”? There was no such person! So ‘known devil is better than an unknown devil’ was his guide and he elected the known crooks instead electing unknown crooks as we all are crooks, a reasonable conclusion. That was My3’s problem. He had to also go back on the number of cabinet ministers he promised to trim, only because he had to buy their silence, otherwise the Government would not have survived.
Remember it is the citizens of Sri Lanka who get elected as MPs and become ministers and the President, and we citizens are not ‘good people’, so we cannot hope and expect to have a ‘good Government’. We have lost all the good qualities we once had soon after Independence in 1948. The British civilized us. The British handed back Ceylon for self rule in ‘good condition’. We have gradually ruined everything over the time. Learning and acquiring good qualities and attitudes start at school and our character is fixed when we reach our 20’s. Unfortunately we do not have good teachers to guide and teach children on these aspects, as teachers themselves are crooks and lack good behaviour. I have in many occasions seen parents and teachers behave deploringly in front of children. Children learn by observation and these adults do not even feel they should at least in the presence of children act as ‘good people’. To at least to act, first they must know what is ‘good and decent’ and unfortunately that is seriously lacking and are unaware. For example I have seen parents crossing the pedestrian crossing with children when the pedestrian lights were red! (I can understand this when they are alone without children.)
There is only one real solution for the ills of our country. Redeveloping a good administrative setup has gone beyond our own control for a long time now. There are no good persons left. We have all acquired bad qualities and attitudes. We just do not know what is good and what is bad and is simple as that. We are simply selfish and want to steal what is left. We first have to accept this glaring fact if we want to make a change and progress for the better. All these has to change before we could become good and decent leaders, professionals and workers.
I have always told the only way to instill good governance, and also responsibility, accountability and decency among all of us, the citizens of Sri Lanka is to hand back our country to UK to rule us for another 100 years so we may reacquire the qualities we had gained during colonial rule in the past. This is the only way I see and there are no short cuts now available. If my advise is not taken seriously, wait and see we will deteriorate further to a point of collapse.
Learn from Hong Kong when the British took over that country for 100 years and see what it has now become.
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ravi / December 27, 2015
[Edited out]
Please don’t post gossip web links – CT
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