Former UPFA parliamentarian Sajin Vass Gunawardena after agreeing to become a witness for the state in the investigations carried against former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, has been provided with a team of Ministerial Security Division (MSD) officers for his protection.
Vass
Gunewardana’s Borella residence currently is akin to a heavily guarded fort with MSD officers along with his private security guarding the location.
Guenewardena is said to have received death threats since agreeing to become a state witness against Rajapaksa.
Both Gunewardena and his wife have limited their movements and on occasions when they travel outside, a coterie of heavily armed MSD officers accompany them, an aide to the former monitoring MP of the foreign ministry said.
Gunewardena so far has not appeared in public and has kept away from the phone since getting released on bail about three weeks back.
It is learnt that Gunawardena has agreed to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) that he would reveal details of many corrupt and fraudulent transactions that had taken place during the period of the former Rajapaksa regime.
Some of these investigations are to be carried out by the CID jointly with the Financial Crimes Investigations Department (FCID).
During the tenure of the former regime, Gunawardena served as coordinating secretary to then President Rajapaksa and also served as the monitoring MP of the External Affairs Ministry.
It was therefore believed that Gunawardena played a key role in many financial deals carried out by the Rajapaksa regime and he is being accused of paying millions to public relation firms in US without the knowledge of the cabinet or the foreign ministry.
These PR firms is said to have coordinated a number of activities in US and some other western nations to propagate the image of Rajapaksa and build contacts with key political and other decision makers in the above countries.
Gunewardena has been charged with misusing 23 vehicles attached to the Presidential Secretariat.
Gunawardena, who was in remand custody after his arrest in May this year was finally released on bail at the end of September.
In addition to the misuse of vehicles Vaas Gunawardena is facing several charges of alleged corruption and fraud during the tenure of the former regime.
Peace Lover / October 15, 2015
Interesting times ahead I guess
but also worrying times ahead for our good friend K A Sumamasekera and his cronies such as Black and Decker,Ramona,Sach,Dayan and Rajiva W et all
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Rarity thoughts / October 15, 2015
What the CID men collected from this Balligeputha -former Baggage boy of former president ? All that should be revealed to the nation let alone today.
This man to have paid over 170mio bills in terms of petrol sheds are the real evidence him to have spent state funds. How can bastard of the kind to be dealing with that high sums if President was not behind him. President abused peoples tax funds to please these men.
What went through the buggers head the time, they did so is the question I raised, even my teenage son questions why the average lanken politicians do so while the westerners record every cent being spent by them ?
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Decker / October 17, 2015
Dear Rarity
Your teenaged son must be viewing the world with rose tinted glasses if he thinks that westerners do not get up to exactly this kind of behaviour, or worse behaviour that makes this chap look like small change. The sooner we stop thinking that the West and its politicians are not some sort of idealistic utopia the sooner we can come to grips with the reality that faces us.
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Sam Jayasinghe / October 17, 2015
what matters is the size of corruption ?
whatever you say, countries like Germany and Switzlerand you have no space for high corurpted cases as MR had gone through all the few years.
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Leelagemalli / October 17, 2015
This morning I happened to watch the TV serie on the German Sat I where they bring day today cases of criminal acts and how the police act to normalize the situation. The kind of programs should be introduced to lanken TV too. I have no idea why Srilanken producers have failed to start such programs to lanken TV yet. They copy almost lots of programs from Wstern TV but not to have even thoughts of introducing the kind of programs to help public more aware about the gravity of crimes and the due punishments – right at the moment, what is essential to laknen people is to learn more to avoid rapidly increasing crimes in the country.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTRyyYHqpYg
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Spring Koha / October 17, 2015
Peace Lover,
There are indeed ‘interesting times ahead’.
Scumbag Sajith has more twists than a corkscrew, and now that he is cornered he has played for time with this latest ploy. Scumbag will mine his knowledge of the secrets he holds of many of our recently rich and famous. Watch him play his cards one by one, watch him twist and turn, and watch him finally wriggle out this one with nearly all the filthy loot he amassed intact. It is for scumbags like this Sajith that the term ‘lucky bastard’ was invented.
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Spring Koha / October 17, 2015
SORRY folks……and all those innocent Sajith’s out there……
Correction: in my response above, for every ‘Sajith’ read SAJIN.
The brain and the fingers are out of sync today!
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Treehorse / October 15, 2015
Let the games begin
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Yasin / October 15, 2015
Treehorse, perhaps you were asleep.
The game ended long ago since the game master (My3) was elected.
Now it is not a game but a drama just to pull the wool over the eye of the masses.
This guy was a kingpin playmaker during MR’s time and he lavishly spent state funds and now the government is spending about the same to keep him safe by providing him and his family total protection.
Why did they not keep him in prison in a cell where he would have been ultra safe due to the high security there.
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Treehorse / October 16, 2015
Secure as Welikada prison? Remember how many was executed by the MR regime during the incident.
Similar thing could happen to him. At least if this guys spills the beans we can bring the lost dollars to ease our foreign reserve crunch. His confessions would weigh heavy in the court of law if turned approver.
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Dr.Goebells / October 15, 2015
Looks as if everything is back to normal at the Gunawardena household. I smell a rat here !
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Spark / October 15, 2015
Never trust a Sinhalese as far as you can spit.
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Treehorse / October 16, 2015
I have so many good friends who are Sinhalese and I find your comment offensive.
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Sentinel / October 16, 2015
If you are Sinhalese then I can appreciate your sarcasm. If you are not, I can’t change your opinion but most Sinhalese as I am have many Tamil friends that we’re are close to as anyone else.
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Piranha / October 16, 2015
You are a racist. You need to get out more and mix with the Sinhalese people. Some of my most trusted friends are Sinhalese.
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Mallaiyuran / October 15, 2015
Vass, Fonseka,New King, Wimal, Mervyn, Duminda,Shenuka were selected to reward as per their records. Royal Family may not budge by these clown repeatedly threatening them that they will witness against the Old Royal Family. They are unlikely have stood everything srtipped in from these clowns so these coolies can record and take everything out for their earning. They may have files against Royal family; Old Royal Family too have it.
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tinpotjihadi / October 15, 2015
Snitches should realize that they want to hide their crimes by betraying their bisses. This baby had many Landover Defenders and strutted around like a Lord working for Mahinda R. He was so untouchable that he wasted tens of billions on Mihin Air and is filthy rich through avarice and sheer Arrogance. This wharf clerk fooled Rajapakse and when Rajapakse’s friends in the USA tried to warn him, they were dismissed. This snitch scum like the masters he worked for and the crooked cousins and nieces and nephews became Billionaires. This karawey or salagama boy is the ultimate disgrace to the concept of loyalty.
.hope he doesn’t get away by being rat now. Snitches are the worst scum on earth .
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J.Muthu / October 15, 2015
What a bloody country, criminals get police protection.
Wonder of asia…Damn [Edited out]
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punchinilame / October 15, 2015
[Edited out]
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bo / October 15, 2015
But has he really become a turncoat? Or is this false propaganda to mislead the public? May be somebody in the current government wants his services, as he was good at his previous job of stealing public assets.
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maalumiris / October 16, 2015
You are more than likely right ! :)
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Rio Ziegelaar / October 16, 2015
SPARK, said it plainly and honestly. Do not trust the majority of Sinhalese persons. Most probably Sajin will be accommodated a Ministers post too. One rabid dog these guys are.
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Billa / October 16, 2015
Hiring his pimp for the ministry job was another ‘beeg’ mistake ! !
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Dias / October 16, 2015
Protecting a high profile states witness (stool pigeon) is always the case in any Country. He obviously has very incriminating information on many powerful people and with him dead, many will sleep easily at night. Since there is no witness protection program in Sri Lanka, the only option is to give him round-the-clock security at least as long as he gets up on the dock and spills the beans.
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Zuraish / October 16, 2015
This thug and crook has many homes.One is at Horton Place Colombo 7- the lane right opposite the Lakshman Kadirgamar institute for International Studies( very close to Horton. Place petrol shed) He has another house down Shady grove Avenue ,off cotta road in Borella ( the lane almost opposite the Keels super market down cotta road.) Then he own a massive 5 story building in the private road right next to the MINI showroom as one comes past the traffic lights at Castle Street ( Dudley Senanayake Mawatha)from theHorton Place side.Then he has a massive building at 69 Grenier Road off Cotta road in borella( lane right next to the keels super market on cotta road)The entrance to this building is down Grenier Road but this thug is said to have opened an unauthorized entrance from Fairfield Gradens.This building has no name board and was the place the crook did his illegal business according to some who had worked for him previously.
The Trico/Dubai peon and thug must be happy because he has now MSD protection like in the time he was Mahinda rajapaksa’s pimp and baggage boy.So what has changed dear readers? NOTHING dear !!!! Next he will be free wheeling in his luxury fleet of Benz, Jauguar, Masserati,BMW and Ferrari fleet of cars.Ohoma Yang putha !!!!!!! This criminal will sell even his mother to get away from all the fraud and murder he did.
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thondamanny / October 16, 2015
What is the delay ????????
lets unfold………………..the human side of MR.
This government is pulling the wool over our very eyes to hide their inability to walk the talk……………….
so far failed to arrest corruption from the Bond scam to Copper thief to customs 125 m
Deaths… killings galore unable to arrest the Law and Order situ…..
Sira comedy………
Children are keeping their aging parents in dog kennels and latest in a fowl pen at Kuruppu Junction, Polonnaruwa………The grama sevaka or his daughter was not aware… surprise… surprise…. fleecing paddy from farmers…………
Chidren are being raped daily, school kids taking into the shrubs to indulge in sex.
Yahapalana politician raping a teak forrest in Mullaitivu AND engaging in opening projects commenced during last government with their names.
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Ibadun Nizar / October 16, 2015
anyway whether he reveals or not ,,but sure current politicos can easily benefit from him…so funny
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Wise Owl / October 16, 2015
Sajin Vass Gunawardena is the epitome of the lowest form of humanity.
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EDWIN RODRIGO / October 16, 2015
His boss, MR, was showing his hands on TV and saying that they are clean. I suppose even Hitler’s hands would have been clean if washed with a good soap.
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EDWIN RODRIGO / October 16, 2015
Whatever the principles may be, I am thankful that he has come forward to give evidence, provided of course that this evidence is authentic. As the Sinhala saying goes, Kele gas maranna Kele gahakma oney”. You need a tree of the forest to destroy the rest of the trees.
Let us encourage more to do the same. At least that will be a deterrent in the future for would be offenders. It is not possible to do these things without accomplices and without leaving a trail however careful one may be.
MR did not expect to be out of power so soon. Therefore, so many loose ends and clues have been left.
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Gamarala / October 16, 2015
Theres a Sinhalese saying ‘When you sleep with dogs you wake up with ticks’.
Million Dollar question is who slept with dogs. Is it MR or Sajin?
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Leelawathie / October 18, 2015
This question has no validity if both belong to dog nature. Please dont look down upon the dogs. They are mostly the most loyal animals. None of the mentioned above own that nature.
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A man from the poor / October 16, 2015
Is this means, this thief is off the hook now? This thief with OL education became a CEO of Mihin Air and ran it to a loss of over eight billion rupees. Spent lavishly tax payers money going around the world with MR. This thief should be in jail for stealing public money. What happened to Marvin and the goons. It appears that they are off the hook too. Yahapalanaya seems to give selective punishment. These are all Sri Lankan politics and nobody get punished eventually. We the public are the losers. Politicians will survive and thrive in the name of yahapalana for the time being. Our worst enemies are the morons who support these politician. The politicians use these morons to intimidate and mislead the public for their survival.
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Piranha / October 16, 2015
Rajapaksa’s assassination squads must be on the prowl for an opportunity to eliminate Vas Gunawardena. Maximum protection must be provided to all those who are willing to testify against the Rajapaksa family and friends.
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jet clipper / October 17, 2015
hope he will reveal Namal and his friends crimes too. but he should not
get away with his loot and crimes easily. give him a light prison sentence . but he must return all his robbed wealth to the state. hope our judges know what they are doing
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muslim / October 17, 2015
Planning a great escape or a union with a powerful VIP ?
This man is a big crook ,who has made his money fraudulently , and with it has a army of friends and relations who too
Have benefitted from all his transaction , ALL OVER THE WORLD
how did he own a company in Maldives, just for an example ?.
Even his friends should be brought to book and given the due judgement.
But this will never happen under this government, all big crooks will escape ,only the small fry will get caught,
This is YAHAPALANAYA.
SRI LANKA HAS NOT COME OUT OF THE STINK.
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Exposing UL / October 18, 2015
#colombotelegraph please check you email for info on SriLankan Airlines. (Could be in junk mail) what you find would be quite interesting.
I kindly urge the public to request CT to check on this.
regarding article above.. This guys is always going to be free as long as he digs into his pockets.
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Swing Low, Sweet Chariot / October 19, 2015
Sajin boasted to Nonis Network about his street fighting skills. Why Oh Why does he need PSD security?
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