Kapila Chandrasena, ex-CEO SriLankan Airlines, who was forced to resign when his termination on charges of corruption was eminent, is to be appointed to the Mobitel Board of Directors on the directive of President Maithripala Sirisena, Colombo Telegraph learns.
Kapila Chandrasena
Ironically, Chandrasena will be replacing Thusitha Haloluwa, once Secretary to Maithripala Sirisena and presently Coordinating Secretary to Mangala Samaraweera, the former Minister of Telecommunications who was replaced by Harin Fernando after the General Election. Haloluwa played a key role in forming the Common Opposition which backed Sirisena to challenge Mahinda Rajapaksa for the Presidency.
Chandrasena was at one point CEO of both Mobitel and SriLankan Airlines. During his tenure as CEO of Mobitel, he initiated what was the first effort to purchase Hutch in a deal where the purchase price was to exceed the real value of the troubled telecommunications service provider by more than US $ 50 million. It is alleged that Chandrasena is being brought back to Mobitel to seal the fresh effort at a deal this time initiated by the President’s brother Kumarasinghe Sirisena.
Chandrasena came to fame as a young man as an aide to the “Casino King” Joe Sim during the Premadasa Presidency. His financial irregularities were exposed by a special committee headed by JC Weliamuna. That investigation is yet to be concluded. Chandrasena is expected to be brought before the Financial Crimes Investigation Division (FCID) shortly. By appointing Chandrasena to the Mobitel Board President Sirisena severely compromises the work of the FCID.
Colombo Telegraph has published detailed reports of the SLT-Hutch deal and exposed Kumarasinghe Sirisena’s unethical and highhanded behavior to clear the way for this.
Despite different party loyalties, highly influential politicians from both major parties are in a concerted effort to seal the Hutch deal with Chandrasena allegedly looking after the Hutch interest, Colombo Telegraph learns. Political differences it seems are being set aside in the interest of getting a share of the kickback pie.
The President, after pledging a corruption-free, nepotism-free country in his election campaign. is now placing corrupt loyalists of the Rajapaksa regime in key positions.
Sirisena, who decried Mahinda Rajapaksa for gagging the media, is now personally calling up editors of Sinhala and English national newspapers to complain that he should have been consulted before publishing reports. As a result editors are maintaining a strict silence on the Hutch-SLT deal.
The President doesn’t seem to be taking any chances in information on this deal appearing in newspapers. Following Mahinda Rajapaksa’s footsteps, it is reported that he is in the process of acquiring control of newspaper houses through businessmen close to him.
Laiya / November 29, 2015
I O Sirisena.Is this the so-called “Yahapalanaya” you promised.
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rew / December 1, 2015
Maximum 2 years for this Govt. Appointments going from bad, to mad, and now crazy / arrogant.
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BBS Rep / November 30, 2015
Almost time to impeach this imposter called Maithree Sirisena.
Kapila Chandrasena the corrupt can now support My3’s son’s corrupt deal on the purchase of Hutch. (mark my words – when the furore caused by Ravaya and CT dies down the deal will go through and the My3 family are going to rub shoulders with the Rajapaksa mob at Dubai and Swiss banks.
What a disappointment this Maithree is turning out to be.
Where the hell is AKD and his JVP.
Why is Sampanthan not asking the most obvious questions in parliament.
All our politicians are miserable pieces of s_ _ t if you ask me.
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thumpane gamaya / November 30, 2015
Recent such developments confirm that MY3 is out of Yahapalana track. It is now up to the public to make a final decision on MY3.
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visu8 / November 30, 2015
“I won’t compromise national security”…. and then MY3 releases all the hard-core terrorists involved in the World Trade Center (SL) bombing, suicide attacks on SF and GR, the murderers of Lakshman Kadirgarmar, and so the list goes on…
While all the countries in the World are trying to curb terrorism by detaining terrorists, you release them. You and your ‘government’ are taking the country backwards, one day at a time.
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Sumane / November 30, 2015
Kick in the ass on Weliamuna and PM…these are people who will earn money even after ending up in prison.
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sumane / November 30, 2015
This fellow is a known rogue,who planned the Hutch deal at the beginning.His profile includes cheque book fraud to signing Sri Lankan deals to earn as much as 8m to 11million a month.FCID should investigate how he got the Barnes Pl house,How he sold Mihin Lanka belly cargo space to one freight forward company.Mr Weliamuna report clearly points the finger at this digit on awarding Airline GSAs in Asia & South West Pacific.He will burn in hell for what he did to Sri Lankan
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Ram Rajaratnam / December 2, 2015
Is this”Sirisena Appoints Disgraced SriLankan Airlines Racketeer To The Mobitel Board” so surprising ?
This is Sri Lanka … this is how it has been ,this is how it is ,this is how this country will remain forever.
What about this then ?
Former Immigration and Emigration Controller Chulananda Perera has been appointed as the New Director General of customs, customs media spokesman Leslie Gamini said.
He will assume duties at the
Customs Head Quarters tomorrow. –
–
Murderers , racists, drug peddlers, all go unpunished and the crooks get promoted and placed in positions to rob the Country and people more. so get used it, this Country will never change ,no matter who is ruling, justice ,law and order has never been of any interest to anyone in this country, including the bulk of the citizens.
Now smugglers need more leverage ,so this is what the government has done by placing a well seasoned crook to help them out.
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thumapane gamaya / December 3, 2015
J.C Weliamuna report in to SriLankan Airlines investigations have strongly recommended the Government to frame criminal charges against Kapila Chandrasena for frauds he has committed during his SriLankan CEO days.I think MY3 would have thought Criminal Prosecution means appointing to another entity?
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Manori77 / December 3, 2015
Seriously what has happened to the findings of the weliamuna report? Some valuable corruption data and culprits were found and why no action taken yet. Kapila(illegal deals, wastage of company money, political campaigns on company money) , head of hr Pradeepa (womanizer – dulari, cabin crew girl, madhuka, former advertising manager) and nishantha former chairman (kukula for cabin crew, chathuri m) had the biggest complains.
Can someone tell why is the government doesn’t take action against the investigation findings?
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Sinhala_Man / December 3, 2015
Dear “Manori77” and “thumapane gamaya”,
I have never set eyes on Weliamuna, but don’t you remember what a fuss was made when it was revealed that Weliamuna had submitted a bill of a couple of million rupees for the work that he had done. I mean to say, investigation inevitably requires money.
All that fuss must have been engineered by guys like this Kapila Chandrasena.
How gullible our people are!
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