10 February, 2025

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Weeratunga And Palpita Get Three Years Rigorous Imprisonment

Former Presidential Secretary Lalith Weeratunga and former Director General of the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (TRC) Anusha Palpita have been found guilty by the Colombo High Court in the ‘Sil Cloth’ case.

Weeratunga

Palpita

Weeratunga and Palpita have each been sentenced to three years rigorous imprisonment by the Colombo High Court.

They have also been fined Rs 2 million each and ordered to pay Rs 50 million each to the TRC as compensation.

The accused have been given time until September 20 to pay the compensation to the TRC.

Anusha Palpita and Lalith Weeratunga were charged in a case filed alleging that the TRC had spent Rs.600 million to distribute Sil Cloth to the people as part of the former president Mahinda Rajapaksa’s election campaign in 2015.

 

Latest comments

  • 21
    5

    Anusha Palpita and Lalith weeratunga should be freed of all charges for distribution of Sil Cloth to the people as part of the former president Mahinda Rajapaksa’s election campaign in 2015.

    The real perpetrators who gave orders to the fraud should be arrested immediately including the Rathupaswela massacre. I mean the chain of command who gave orders.

    • 14
      2

      The previous regime was run by Mahinda and four individuals and not by the cabinet. All these politicians who are shouting today were puppets at that time and quite rightly had no say since they are incapable of decision making and had no intellectual capacity.

      The four are:
      Gotabaya
      Lalith
      P B J
      Nivard

      Right or wrong the decisions were made by these four and things got done. All that were done which were good and bad had the nod from one of them.

      One down and three to go !!!

    • 12
      2

      Two more people for poor overworked Mahinda to visit in Welikala ……………. at this rate it’ll be more convenient for him to move there himself ………. to welcome his buddies ………..

      • 3
        1

        After a few days time , both crooks will be transferred to hospital ward and then bed rest !
        Apparently , Sarana rouge is in the hospital right now . time has come to check the impartiality of the hospital doctors. May be a second independent doctor’s opinion must be sought prior to admission to the hospital.

    • 1
      0

      It will be interesting to note whether his good wife Indrani would continue as the chairperson of IBSL the insurance regulator !!

      It is simply not sustainable to hold on to a regulatory position.

      But this is Sri Lanka!!

    • 3
      1

      Mudson,

      If you ask any body who is responsible or ordered for following crimes
      Killing Lasantha Wickramathunga,
      Disappearance of Prageeth Eknaligoda,
      Shooting at Rathupaswella,
      Killing of Antony at Halawatha,
      Killing of Wasim Thajudeen,
      Killing of Roshen Chanaka and attacks on Journalists and Media Institutes as well as many other crimes.
      Answer will be – nobody has given orders
      If you ask who won the war against Tigers
      Answer will be – Mahinda Rajapaksha, Gotabaya Rajapaksha, Basil Rajapaksha, Chamal Rajapaksha, Namal Rajapaksha and Vihara Maha Devi.

      Also, remember recently there was a news that U.R. De Silva, Chairman BASL and group of Lawyers met with CJ and requested CJ to transfer High Court Judge Gihan Kulathunga to another Court. Why was it? Were they trying put Rajapaksha Henchman instead of sitting Judge knowing the decision?

    • 3
      1

      What to do they purposely sacrifice themselves to protect their masters being punished

    • 10
      0

      This is a joke! Only three year for these criminals!?
      They should be in for 25 years at least…

      A man who robbed coconuts will get more jail time!

      Shows that we have a corrupt legal system too…

  • 19
    2

    Wow! This is happening in Sri Lanka and in 2017?

  • 19
    2

    Weeratunga And Palipta Get Three Years Rigorous Imprisonment

    A start with small brats. Who will follow next?

    • 12
      2

      Who says that people support MR? It is a big lie of the devilish MR and his cronies.

  • 27
    2

    It is sad that a civil servant has become the first victim of Mahinda Rajapakse dictatorship. It is surprise that people still go behind this brutal dictator and want him back in power to destroy the democracy and rule of law.

  • 2
    21

    Hmmmmmm………..Wonder what the sentence will be for Insider Trading……..Divulging Confidential Government Information……….Fixing Government Tenders………Accepting Bribes…….Giving Instructions to defraud the Reserve Bank……… Perjury…….. and defrauding the Employees Provident Fund ………. 300 Years………. Diaspora Rajaretnam got 11 years for just one of the above………..

    • 2
      0

      KASmaalam K A Sumanasekera

      Wonder what the sentences will be for rigging presidential elections in 2005 by bribing terrorists in millions, money laundering, then stealing billions from poor Vanniars just after the war, collecting large commissions in foreign banks, ………………………………………………………………..?
      Did any of Dr Mahinda’s Ambassadorial/journalist b***s carriers devise money laundering schemes for the clan’s collective loot? Is it true Dr Mahinda has good old school friends in the UK?

  • 10
    1

    One High Court swallow does not mean that it is summer as yet.

    • 10
      0

      Must say I feel a bit sorry for Weeratunga, though he does not deserve any sympathy either. Leading civil servants of SL are partners in almost all crimes committed in SL by corrupt politicians. They play this game together. It is a tango. Ours is a stinking system from top to bottom.
      Cheers!
      PS: Bradman Weerakon, where are you? Any comments?

      • 4
        0

        Ben Hurling

        ” Leading civil servants of SL are partners in almost all crimes committed in SL by corrupt politicians.”

        As far as my Elders knew the partnership went back to Early 1970 with the advent of Weeping Widow’s Socialist Ceylon.

  • 13
    1

    2005 tsunami to 2015 sill redi aiyo lalith MAHA RAJA eliye

  • 18
    1

    At last it seems to be working , 50 Million each ? surely it’s going to hurt both of the crooks . Both Palpita and Lalith W are equally corrupt ;thus, they richly deserve the punishment.

  • 20
    2

    Slowly but surely the wagon ( to Welikada ). chugs on!!
    Good sign but the Sharks are still out enjoying the LOOT FROM the STATE and from the PEOPLE, RIGHT?? ofcourse with the Blessings of the Government , the Judiciary and the Religious CHIEFS!!

    By the way who will pay the Bill due ( Merchants wing the PPP , the Pampered Prisoners Paradise) to our National Hospital???? Would it be MR or RW or MS?? Time to Guess!!
    Did they build a new wing PPP for the Princelings on the tax payers money???

    • 5
      1

      Yellow Robed Ayatollas are ready to block or Protect State Criminals . We know that the President and the PM will go weak on their knees on the word of Buddhism, they will sacrifice their own women and their country in the name of Buddhism.
      Blind Belief is known as Medicine for Disaster.
      That’s the state of affairs.
      We’re protected by Ayatoolas in the name of our Religion of BLIND BELIEF???
      We Never Question Ayatollas motives and their own games???
      Why ?
      Are we Blind Believers???

  • 23
    1

    If you do the crime, do the time!
    Every single one, who robbed public money!

    • 3
      0

      srinathan.gunaratnam

      “If you do the crime, do the time!”

      Thanks.
      When are you planning to send Dr MR, Dr GR, BR, Lawyer NR, YR …… their cronies to prison for their part in war crimes, murder and day light robbery of state and people?

      • 0
        0

        When you prove it in the courts!

        • 0
          0

          srinathan.gunaratnam

          “When you prove it in the courts!”

          It is not a question of proving at the courts its the usual question of do the state and rulers really want to investigate and punish Dr MR and the gang? A patriot who single-handedley won the Demelas had earned the freedom to rob, kill, enjoy impunity from war crimes, ………………………..

          Are you collecting evidence against the gang?

  • 22
    1

    And helping Hambantota thief who gave the orders?

  • 14
    6

    KASmaalam K A Sumanasekere

    How come these two patriots are sent to prison while bond scammers are enjoying freedom? Maybe these two have been promised freedom/absolution/impunity at the higher courts. Could you keep a record of the number of days they are actually going to be in the prison.

    How much did you personally gained from the above deal? Were you outside the country at the time of the Sil Redi scam?

  • 18
    1

    It is heartening to learn that though belatedly, the Wheels of the Sri Lankan Justice system have started to move. Let us hope that the other criminals will follow suit .Bensen

  • 29
    1

    Weeratunga , an educated man , should have known that when you lie down with dogs , you wake up with fleas .

  • 4
    2

    “Weeratunga And Palipta Get Three Years Rigorous Imprisonment”
    ……………………………..
    Whoopee ………… now let’s get the others Ravi, Arjuna, Ranil, Mahinda, Gota, Basil, Namal ……………. no partisan politics here boys and gals; country comes first, right, eh? :)) ……………. crook is a crook is a crook …….. this crap has to end somewhere for the country to progress …………
    ………………………………..
    Yahapalanaya, you beauty ………… at least 2 bastards are collared …………… half a million more to go …………. presidents, prime-ministers, ministers, MPs, Mahanaykes, Cardinals ……….. only I’ll be left to enjoy the sunny isle all by myself ……… sitting here, just the thought ………… blows my mind ……………

  • 8
    0

    Where are the other bastards who tried to hush up the investigations Vajira Booruwardena and Dadaallage. Next Arrest the person who gave the orders!!!!!!

  • 9
    0

    Viyath Maga and Eliya Mentors must be shitting in the pants after the sil redi verdict by the high court.

  • 9
    0

    DJ are you listening???

  • 10
    0

    Dear Nosey Parker,

    Of course, you’re right. We have to start somewhere, and Lalith Weeratunga must obviously have compromised himself. One can’t excuse these guys who were flying high.

    However, I must say that I feel sorry for a guy with whom I had a very relaxed two hour chat in Badulla more than fifteen years ago.

    He was at the time an Additional Secretary/ Education, while I was my “gambada iskole mahattaya”. He had arrived with Dr Tara de Mel who was then Secretary/Education, with him gallantly sitting on the supposedly dangerous right rear seat (I mean in case of accident, guys on the right are more likely to be hurt). While Tara was having important conversations with the people who really mattered, Lalith and I just talked.

    *

    One of the things we discussed was how a shop in Bandarawela (I don’t think it fair to name it, even now) had won an order to distribute huge “Yamaha” double cassette recorders which weighed almost nothing, to all schools in Sri Lanka. Something like 40,000 machines! Almost all had stopped working within a couple of months of being put to use to play cassettes meant to improve English. He joked about how it was Yamaha motor bikes that were well known. We shared information of this sort about waste and corruption.

    *

    All that said, I agree with Ajith who says, “It is sad that a civil servant has become the first victim of Mahinda Rajapakse dictatorship.”

    When does Rajapaksa go in? Or is there a deal?

    • 5
      0

      When does Rajapaksa go in? Or is there a deal?
      Yes of course there is a deal. RW, MS, MS(P) Malik Samarawickrema, WR now thrown out and lastly Sagala all protecting previous regime leaders.

  • 4
    0

    High time Gamini Senerath is asked to explain how he got the funds to build a palatial house in Gregory’s Road

  • 4
    0

    This is as a result of firing Wijedasa Rajapakse the judiciary is attempting to be clean now I HOPE THAT more arrests are to follow

  • 5
    0

    Educated men sometimes become fools in the hands of the not so educated but powerful.

  • 4
    0

    The photo shows it all. A Royalist, civil servant who did a 6 month stint at Harvard STOOPS LOW TO BOW to the President. This was sycophancy at its best. He used to do even worse when he was secretary to PM. That sort of behavior is disgusting. He is a Civil servant and can just clasp his hands and give a courtesy. You can see how servile this rascal is. So much for an elite school product. Another Puka lewakana horek.

  • 4
    0

    Three years Where ? – Paying Ward?

  • 3
    0

    When can we see Chichi’s Rocket taking off.
    320 million dollars screwed off
    High court when when when???

  • 2
    0

    Deterrent punishment will instill some fear in govt. servants not to obey illegal orders’

  • 3
    0

    Great lesson for others who work for crooks.
    Still some foolish people are running behind Rajapaksa Hora rela.

  • 2
    1

    A good lesson for those public servants who carries out illegal political orders outside FR and AR. However, we cannot put all the blames on them. How can they refuse such orders when they come from the Almighty’s. Those who gave the orders should be the FIRSTS to be punished!

  • 3
    0

    MR (and family) should commit suicide over this

  • 2
    0

    Is that lady Ms. Sugathapala who was the chairman of Stock Exchange the wife of Lalith W? or she is just living together as Lalith W or she could not get a divorce from an earlier marriage?

    She left that CSE after seeing how Namal Baby and Cabraal was manipulating.. she can make a good state witness …

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