{"id":222975,"date":"2021-10-04T17:28:34","date_gmt":"2021-10-04T11:58:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/?p=222975"},"modified":"2021-10-05T01:52:53","modified_gmt":"2021-10-04T20:22:53","slug":"pandora-papers-icijs-questions-to-nirupama-rajapaksa-thirukumar-nadesan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/pandora-papers-icijs-questions-to-nirupama-rajapaksa-thirukumar-nadesan\/","title":{"rendered":"Pandora Papers: ICIJ\u2019s Questions To Nirupama Rajapaksa & Thirukumar Nadesan"},"content":{"rendered":"

Former Sri Lanka Minister and a niece of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Nirupama Rajapaksa<\/a><\/span>\u2019s name has been mentioned in Pandora Papers.<\/p>\n

According to the ICIJ<\/a> report Nirupama Rajapaksa and Nadesan together controlled a shell company they used to buy luxury apartments in London and Sydney, and to make investments. Nadesan set up other shell companies and trusts in secrecy jurisdictions, and he used them to obtain lucrative consulting contracts from foreign companies doing business with the Sri Lankan government and to buy artwork.<\/p>\n

In 2018, one of the companies, Pacific Commodities, transferred 31 paintings and other South Asian art pieces to the Geneva Freeport, an ultra-secure warehouse where assets are not subject to taxes or duties.<\/p>\n

In confidential emails to Asiaciti Trust, a Singapore-based offshore services provider, a longtime adviser of Nadesan\u2019s put his overall wealth, as of 2011, at more than $160 million. ICIJ couldn\u2019t independently verify the figure. Asiaciti Trust managed some of Nadesan\u2019s offshore companies and trusts, with assets valued at about $18 million, according to an ICIJ analysis.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Tirukumar Nadesan and wife Nirupama Rajapaksa<\/p><\/div>\n

The questions below posed to both Nirupama Rajapaksa and Thirukumar Nadesan<\/a><\/span> by the ICJI. They were failed to answer by September 20, 2021:<\/p>\n

Questions for Nirupama Rajapaksa:<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Documents we have seen show that from the early 1990s until early 2010s (during part\u00a0of Sri Lanka\u2019s conflict) you were a \u201ccontrolling party\u201d of Rosetti Ltd, an offshore company\u00a0used to receive consultancy fees and buy properties in Sydney and London. Is this\u00a0correct? What was your role in Rosetti?<\/p>\n

Did you declare your ownership of Rosetti when you became a member of parliament, if\u00a0required to do so by local law? Did you declare your ownership of the properties?<\/p>\n

Did you disclose ownership of Rosetti to the government agencies that hired your\u00a0company as a contractor? If no, why not?<\/p>\n

Documents we have seen show you are one of the beneficiaries of the Pacific Trust,\u00a0which holds a $51 million art collection. Is this accurate? If so, did you declare the trust\u00a0to tax authorities, if required to do so by local law?<\/p>\n

What was your role in the offshore companies and trusts set up by your husband\u00a0Nadesan, namely Sri Nithi Trust, Pacific Trust, Pacific commodities, Pallene, Chalan Oil\u00a0and Red Ruth Investments?<\/p>\n

In a 2014 interview, you said \u201cAs women, we have better qualities than men and are\u00a0more honest and are less vulnerable to bribes and corruption.\u201d Can you elaborate on\u00a0that please?<\/p>\n

Questions for Thirukumar Nadesan:<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

A 2011 document we have seen says your family fortune amounts to 100 million pounds\u00a0($160 million) while, in 2017, the Sri Nithi Trust and the Pacific Trust combined held\u00a0about $18 million in total. Is it accurate? What is the source of your wealth?<\/p>\n

Documents we have seen show that you set up consultancy companies called Rosetti\u00a0and Pacific commodities in Jersey, a known tax haven. The companies provided\u00a0consultancy for government contracts in Sri Lanka. Why did you establish the companies\u00a0offshore instead of incorporating them in Sri Lanka?<\/p>\n

Your company Pacific Commodities Ltd. provided services to Sumitomo Corp, as well as\u00a0to German company Contract GMBH. What was your company\u2019s role? What type of\u00a0consultancy did it provide? Did you use your political connections with the Rajapaksa\u00a0family to obtain the contracts?<\/p>\n

According to records, Rosetti was used to buy apartments in Sydney and London worth\u00a0more than $4 million. Is this accurate? Why did you use a company to own properties\u00a0instead of buying directly under your name?<\/p>\n

Documents show you retrieved thousands of dollars in income from London property in\u00a0cash \u2013 why cash?<\/p>\n

Files show that in 2013 you applied for Cypriot citizenship, and that your children\u2019s\u00a0application was successful. Why did you apply? Did you obtain it?<\/p>\n

Documents show that you own an art collection with 51 pieces, including artworks by Raj\u00a0Ravi Varma and George Keyt, worth about $4 million, and that, in 2018, you moved it to\u00a0the Geneva freeport \u2014 a tax free warehouse \u2014 using your Pacific Commodities company.\u00a0Is it accurate? Why did you store it in the freeport? And why do you own it through an\u00a0offshore company?<\/p>\n

In 2015, you requested Asiaciti to send your documents via courier saying that your\u00a0source of funds could be \u201cchallenged.\u201d Can you please explain what you were\u00a0concerned about?<\/p>\n

In 2016, you were arrested and charged with embezzlement. Authorities alleged you\u00a0acted as proxy for Basil Rajapaksa and helped him build a villa on your property in\u00a0Malwana, using Rs. 250 million from public funds. How do you respond? What was the\u00a0outcome of the investigation?<\/p>\n

What\u2019s your relationship with government officials: Basil, Mahinda and Gotabaya\u00a0Rajapaksa?<\/p>\n

In an 2016 email to Asiaciti trust officers, you told them not to disclose information to a\u00a0Dubai banker who was assisting you in opening a bank account for your company FP\u00a0FZE. Why didn\u2019t you want to provide details of your activity to the bank?<\/p>\n

Files show that, from at least 2002 to 2007, your company Rosetti made annual\u00a0$140,000 loans to Red Ruth Investments, another company of yours. Red Ruth then distributed the funds to your Cook Islands trust Sri Nithi and other shell companies. What\u00a0was the purpose of those transactions? What was the source of those funds?<\/p>\n

According to media reports, in 2018, Red Ruth was investigated by Sri Lankan\u00a0authorities who found $22 million in a Hong Kong account associated with the company.\u00a0What was the outcome of the investigation? What was the source of those funds?<\/p>\n

Why did you choose known tax havens such as Jersey, the Cook Islands and Samoa to\u00a0incorporate your companies and trusts?<\/p>\n

Have you declared any of your companies and assets to the Sri Lankan authorities?<\/p>\n

What was your wife\u2019s role in all of your companies and trusts?\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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