19 February, 2025

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Stolen State Assets Recovery Task Force Member Resigns From Sri Lanka Customs

A member of the Special Presidential Task Force for the recovery of illegally acquired state assets, Jagath Wijeweera has resigned from his post as Director General of Sri Lanka Customs.

 Jagath Wijeweera

Jagath Wijeweera

The Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake has announced his resignation last night. He said the exact reason for Wijeweera’s resignation has not yet been revealed, but the minister said that Wijeweera might have resigned due to ongoing investigations to determine the reasons for the considerable loss that had been reported in the Customs Department in the recent past.

Director General of Customs had allegedly involved in multi-million rupee scams under Rajapaksa regime, was appointed by President Maithripala Sirisena to the Special Presidential Task Force for the recovery of illegally acquired state assets. The other members are; former Solicitor General Bimba Tillakaratne PC, H.M.L.T. Mudalige, H. Amaratunga, C.A.H.M. Wijeratna, Senior Assistant Secretary to the Justice Ministry A.K.D.D. Arandara, L.S. Pathinayake, Director General of the Commission to Investigate Bribery or Corruption Dilrukshi Dias Wickramasinghe, Commissioner General of Inland Revenue Department Kalyani Dahanayake, D.G.N. Jayawardena, C.A. Premashantha, Additional Solicitor General Yasantha Kodagoda PC and senior lawyer J.C. Weliamuna.

The Presidential Task Force is empowered to “investigate, identify, trace, seize and transfer to Sri Lanka, state assets and revenue which are due to the government that have been illegally or unlawfully acquired or procured by Sri Lankan nationals and other persons acting on behalf of Sri Lankan nationals or otherwise, and are being concealed or kept outside the territory of Sri Lanka by such persons and others acting on their behalf, and take effective steps to cause their seizure and transfer or return to Sri Lanka to be confiscated and vested in the General Treasury.”

The recovery of stolen state assets was a major slogan in the election platform of President Maithripala Sirisena at the last Presidential poll. “Wijeweera has no moral right to stay on as a member of the Special Presidential Task Force for the recovery of illegally acquired state asset” a good governance activist told Colombo Telegraph.

Related stories;

Customs Officials Demand Ransom Of Rs.120 Million – Custom Chief Wijeweera Under Fire

Deal Or No Deal: Customs Chief Wijeweera In A Rs.100 Million Defraud Deal?

Lawlessness In Customs Costs Govt Dearly: Tyre Importer Says

Customs DG’s Collusion To Embezzle Hundreds Of Millions Tax Revenue Reported To President Sirisena

Exposed: Rajapaksa’s Blood Ivory Robbery: Justice Rohini Lies Internationally

Latest comments

  • 2
    0

    The era of men like SMJ Senaratne of unquestioned integrity and his predecessors is a thing of the past. Bensen

  • 1
    2

    We respect you, Sir, for keeping your professional integrity and resigning.
    Because such things have no validity under YAHAPALANA of [Edited out]

  • 2
    0

    It is like place a thief to catch a thief.

  • 3
    0

    I say chaps shall we appoint evergreen zero K A Sumanasekera as the replacement for this guy?

  • 4
    0

    LOL. One does not have to have a wild fantasy to see why he resigned. Its a wonderful tactic when you let out a thief to catch the thieves. Now the question, whether he will be questioned onthose past losses or is the present Government satisfied with his resignation?

    • 1
      0

      If he is questioned many in the present government will also have to resign and many of the present government supporters will have to join Basil and co.

  • 2
    0

    Wijeweera may have been appointed according to the doctrine/saying – “Set a thief to catch a thief” – according to information revealed by the five additional addenda above.

    Wijeweera realising that his name was bound to come up, has resigned.
    If he flees abroad, this will be confirmed.
    His passport should be impounded immediately.

  • 1
    0

    Without proper an inversgation against current offices and the political affiliated persons of UNP, CBK and MS regime’s which henchmen ,that you could not blame to Government officers.

    By the way unelected leadership of Ranil.W…-led UNP administration and Ravi Karuananyke as minister in -charge of Customs Department should not forced officers to vacated their post by underhand manner.

    The J.C.Wilimieue is UNP lawyer, in and out of UNP-Ranil lawyers penal;and Briber Commissioner of M/S Wickramasinghe as similar that both are back by UNP political ideology that nexus ,and they have lost credentials of job of impartial an inquire group of expertise.

    To the extent that a charging by UNP Regime replace certain existing qualitative requirements of system , there may be some loss of government control over the composition of the customs intake.
    Indeed certain of the control by UNP-CBK-MS Regime could be retained through the design of the charging mechanism that Department of Customs.

    A changing model could potentially that incorporate qualitative requirements of customs policies ,both as a means of controlling the size and composition of the revenue intake.

    Under the UNP-Ranil regime that guidance by Ravi.K…so-called changes for entry may also conflict with equity or fairness objective of Customs was founded long years by British Colonial Rule.

    There may be threshold issues in specifying in Department of Customs a hypothetical policy. The question of whether the proposed UNP-Ranil. W… & Ravi.K.. policy would complement or replace the existing arrangement could have major bearing on the outcomes.

  • 2
    0

    Even “set a thief to catch a thief” fails in Sri Lanka !

  • 0
    0

    “The Presidential Task Force is empowered to “investigate, identify, trace, seize and transfer to Sri Lanka, state assets and revenue which are due to the government that have been illegally or unlawfully acquired or procured by Sri Lankan nationals and other persons acting on behalf of Sri Lankan nationals..” and todate the Task Force has come up with sweet b%&&^r-sll in identifying such instances.

    The Task Force has been disempowered to look in to any “excessive payments for, or in relation to, any Bonds, Instuments or other interest bearing securities made on or after 8th January” as part of their investigation.

    • 1
      0

      Paul,
      I dispute what you say because they did catch a rabbit in the form of Mrs.
      Weerawansa for travelling on forged diplomatic passport whilst the pack of wolves are still out there and enjoying their freedom and their ill gotten gains. On Jan 8 people got rid of the cold and in return we got a cold ( kehi gani deela hotu gani gatha)

    • 0
      0

      Paul,
      I dispute what you say because they did catch a rabbit in the form of Mrs.
      Weerawansa for travelling on a forged diplomatic passport (obviously arranged by Wimal Weerawansa) whilst the pack of wolves are still out there and enjoying their freedom and their ill gotten gains. On Jan 8 people got rid of the cold and in return they got a cold (kehi gani deela hotu gani gatha).

  • 1
    0

    Too many skeltons in the cupboard.

    Had no choice.

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