{"id":244362,"date":"2025-11-16T19:29:31","date_gmt":"2025-11-16T13:59:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/?p=244362"},"modified":"2025-11-27T14:44:58","modified_gmt":"2025-11-27T09:14:58","slug":"the-cry-of-mother-lanka","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/the-cry-of-mother-lanka\/","title":{"rendered":"The Cry Of Mother Lanka"},"content":{"rendered":"

By\u00a0Fr J.C. Pieris<\/a>\u00a0\u2013<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"

Fr Chryso Pieris SJ<\/p><\/div>\n

My money lies over the ocean
\nMy money lies over the sea,
\nMy money lies over the ocean,
\nOh bring back my money to me.<\/p>\n

Bring back, bring back,
\nOh bring back my money to me, to me,
\nBring back, bring back,
\nOh bring back my money to me.<\/p>\n

(Adapted from a scout song)<\/span><\/p>\n

The above is not a joyful song of Lanka but a sad and desperate cry of our dear Mother Lanka. Who listens to her? Only sincere patriots, the legitimate children of Mother Lanka; Workers, domestic and otherwise in the Middle East, South Korea, Japan, Israel, Italy and other EU countries, mercenaries in Russia and so on. \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n

Who are the deaf who do not hear her? They are the betraying bastards of Mother Lanka. Some of them are foreigners. Some have not done anything illegal but their earnings from exporting locally manufactured goods and other local produce like coconut rubber and tea have been kept in other countries without bringing the profits back home. It was the wealth produced by the sweat and tears of the people of Sri Lanka that is, in a way, robbed and sent abroad. That wealth belongs to Mother Lanka. The rest are those who accumulated criminal wealth through commissions and bribes from international companies and tycoons. But those firms and companies passed on the financial burden to the Sri Lankans. The Auditor General said that of the 8 billion we received from abroad for development, only work done for 2 billion can be accounted for. What happened to the 6 billion? Only the previous governments can answer that question. They bled the country to bankruptcy. They have committed matricide. They are parasites that suck the bloody wealth of the poor of Sri Lanka.<\/p>\n

Thanks to International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, (The\u00a0ICIJ<\/b>\u00a0is a global network of more than 290 investigative journalists in 105 countries who collaborate on in-depth investigative stories.) we know the names of most of these bastards. For your information I have collected them from the three famous (or notorious) papers; Pandora Paradise and Panama; And from Times Online SL and Colombo Telegraph But, I am sure there are many more not mentioned in these papers. Here are the known names; some of them may be repeated in more than one Paper.<\/p>\n

Ramalingam Paskaralingam<\/b><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

served as secretary to Sri Lanka\u2019s finance ministers under President Ranasighe Premadasa from 1989 to 1993, then under Dingiri Wijetunda until 1994. In his implication in the Pandora Papers, the ICIJ found a trust set up by Paskaralingam in the British Virgin Islands, through Trident Trust. According to the investigation, the trust was set up as a form of \u201csuccession planning\u201d and according to documents, his occupation was listed as \u201cretired\u201d along with himself and other family members listed as beneficiaries. The trust owned two companies, one based in the British Virgin Islands and one in Singapore, and held shares in the Horizon College of Business Technology (HCBT), a vocational college in the eastern part of Sri Lanka\u2019s capital city of Colombo.<\/p>\n

Nirupama Rajapaksa<\/b><\/a>\u00a0<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

served as a deputy minister of water supply and drainage in Parliament from 2010 to 2015 and is also a cousin of Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the current president of Sri Lanka. Along with her husband, Thirukumar Nadesan, she controlled a shell company used to buy luxury apartments in London and Sydney and to make other investments. Working as a consultant and hotel entrepreneur, Nadesan used shell companies set up in secrecy jurisdictions to gain consulting contracts with companies working with the government and to buy artwork. In one instance, Nadesan used a shell company, Pacific Commodities, to transfer 31 paintings and other South Asian artwork to Geneva Freeport, a warehouse where assets are not subject to taxes or duties.<\/p>\n

Thirukumar Nadesan<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

The owner of \u201cGoddess Lakshmi,\u201d and the artworks in transit with it, as recorded on the packing slip, was a Samoan-registered shell company with an unremarkable name, Pacific Commodities Ltd. But a cache of leaked documents from Asiaciti Trust, a Singapore-based financial services provider, indicates that a politically connected Sri Lankan, Thirukumar Nadesan,\u00a0secretly controls the company<\/span><\/a><\/span>\u00a0and thus is the true owner of the 31 pieces of art. His wife, Nirupama Rajapaksa, is a former member of Sri Lanka\u2019s Parliament and a scion of the powerful Rajapaksa clan, which has dominated the Indian Ocean island nation\u2019s politics for decades.<\/p>\n

Rajapakse Family<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Sri Lanka\u2019s president is Gotabaya Rajapaksa. Nirupama Rajapaksa\u2019s late father was his cousin. The president\u2019s older brother, Mahinda Rajapaksa, is prime minister. Human rights groups have accused the brothers of war crimes. Former government officials have alleged that the family has amassed a multibillion-dollar fortune and hidden part of it in bank accounts in Dubai, Seychelles and St. Martin. At least eight family members and loyalists have been investigated by authorities and some have been charged with crimes including fraud, corruption and embezzlement, according to media reports.<\/p>\n

The Supreme Court Judgement<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

In a landmark ruling in\u00a0November 2023, the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka found several members of the Rajapaksa family and top officials guilty of\u00a0mishandling the economy\u00a0and violating the public trust, actions which directly contributed to the country’s severe economic crisis and subsequent bankruptcy.<\/p>\n

The court’s decision was a majority verdict (4-1) on fundamental rights petitions filed by civil rights activists and academics. The key figures held responsible include:<\/p>\n

* Gotabaya Rajapaksa<\/b>, former President<\/p>\n

* Mahinda Rajapaksa<\/b>, former Prime Minister and President<\/p>\n

* Basil Rajapaksa<\/b>, former Finance Minister<\/p>\n

* Ajith Nivard Cabraal<\/b>\u00a0and\u00a0Prof. W.D. Lakshman<\/b>, former Central Bank Governors<\/p>\n

The court determined their actions and inactions, such as a massive tax cut in 2019, the delay in seeking assistance from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and the artificial maintenance of the exchange rate, led to a foreign currency shortage and the nation’s economic collapse. The ruling was considered symbolic, as the petitioners did not seek personal financial compensation, but rather justice in the public interest. The respondents were ordered to pay a nominal sum of legal costs to the petitioners.<\/p>\n

The judgment has paved the way for further legal action, with calls from civil activists and some lawmakers for criminal trials and efforts to recover allegedly stolen state assets. Several family members also face ongoing investigations and charges related to corruption and money laundering.<\/p>\n

Tiran Alles<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Aug 16, 2016<\/a><\/span>, Times Online SL Businessman Tiran Christopher Alles<\/b> and one time Tiger guerrilla fund raiser\u00a0Emil Kanthan<\/b> are among four persons whom the Attorney General has filed\u00a0indictments before the Colombo High Court for alleged fraud.<\/p>\n

Others indicted in the case, due before High Courts on September 24 are Rohan\u00a0Saliya Abeysinghe Weerawickremasuriya Jayantha Dias Samarasinghe.<\/b><\/p>\n

The four suspects will be charged for misappropriation of public funds and\u00a0criminal breach of trust under the Public Property Act. They are alleged to have\u00a0conspired to misappropriate state funds amounting to Rs 200 million from the state backed Reconstruction and Development Agency (RADA). The money to\u00a0construct 800 housing units in Trincomalee and Batticaloa as part of a project\u00a0called Jayalanka had been allegedly misappropriated.<\/p>\n

The four will also be charged with criminal breach of trust of a sum of Rs\u00a0124,837,990.50 (over Rs 124 million) allocated to build 800 housing units in the\u00a0two districts also as part of the Jayalanka Project. These funds are also alleged\u00a0to have been misappropriated.<\/p>\n

Pandora Papers<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

There are 35 names on the Pandora Papers<\/a><\/span>; \u2018Nirupama Rajapaksa (represented by her husband\u2019s name), Arjun Aloysius, Ravi Karunanayake, D.M Jayaratne, Sajin Vaas Gunawardena, Buddy Wettasinghe, Sirisena Cooray, Dudley Sirisena, Rohan Pallewatta, Samarasinghe Arachchige Madush Lakshitha (Makandure Madush), Gampola Vidanelage Saman Kumara (Wele Suda), Bimal Ratnayake, Krrishmal Warnasuriya (Lawyer), Anoma Gamage (Daya Group business), Rauf Hakeem, A.H.M. Fowzie, Vijayakala Maheswaran, Ali Zaheer Moulana, S. B. Navinna, Karunaratne Paranavithana, Velusamy Radhakrishnan, Samadara Ranatunga, Hema Premadasa, Malik Samarawickrema, Sujatha Senaratne, Kavan Perera, Rohan Perera, Mavai Senathirajah, S. Yogeshwaran, Ajith Devasurendra, R. Rajamahendran and Jaya Sri Ranga.\u2019 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Panama Papers<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Yapa Hetti Pathirannahalage Nissanka Yapa Senadhiathi<\/a>\u00a0<\/span>\u2013 Avant Garde Pte Ltd<\/p>\n

Y H P Kithsiri Manjula Kumara Yapa<\/a>\u00a0<\/span>\u2013 Avant Garde Pte Ltd<\/p>\n

Senerath Bandara Dissanayake<\/a><\/span>\u00a0\u2013 Avant Garde Pte Ltd<\/p>\n

Prasanna Athanasius Sirimevan Rajaratne<\/a><\/span>\u00a0\u2013 Avant Garde Pte Ltd<\/p>\n

Kenneth John Pendigrast<\/a><\/span>\u00a0\u2013 PASKEVILLE TRADING LTD<\/p>\n

Kenneth John Pendigrast<\/a>\u00a0<\/span>\u2013 SCATOLA FINANCE LTD.<\/p>\n

Mohamed Siddeek Mohamed Ali<\/a><\/span>\u00a0\u2013 KALIN INTERNATIONAL COMPANY LIMITED<\/p>\n

Mohamed Siddeek Mohamed Ali<\/a>\u00a0<\/span>\u2013 KALIN INTERNATIONAL COMPANY LIMITED<\/p>\n

Min Xuan<\/a><\/span>\u00a0\u2013 LENZSKI INTERNATIONAL LTD.<\/p>\n

Jayakody Arachchige Dona Marian Srini Pamela Jayakody<\/a><\/span>\u2013 GRAND RISE INDUSTRY LTD<\/p>\n

Jayakody Arachchige Dona Martin Srini Pamela Jayakody<\/a><\/span>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Lucky Stone Indus Ltd.<\/p>\n

Palavinnege Sumith Cumaranatunga<\/a><\/span>\u00a0\u2013 EMPIRE STAR HOLDINGS LTD.<\/p>\n

Tristan Laurens Bernard<\/a>\u00a0<\/span>\u2013 Hotel IQ International Ltd.<\/p>\n

Nicola Dawn Hakansson<\/a><\/span>\u00a0\u2013 NETWORK LIMITED<\/p>\n

Michael Robert Nasmyth MacPherson<\/a><\/span>\u00a0\u2013 KACHINE LIMITED<\/p>\n

Aroon Hirdaramani<\/a>\u00a0<\/span>\u2013\u00a0Brown International Limited<\/p>\n

Mona Hirdaramani and Aroon Hirdaramani\u00a0as Joints tenants with Rights of Survivorship<\/a><\/span>\u00a0\u2013 STONECROFT INVESTMENTS INC.<\/p>\n

Arun Prakash Mahtani<\/a>\u00a0<\/span>\u2013 PASSION CHINA LIMITED<\/p>\n

Mukesh Khubchand<\/a>\u00a0<\/span>\u2013 ADVANI INVESTMENTS LIMITED<\/p>\n

NG Yin Peng<\/a><\/span>\u00a0\u2013 GENIUS.COM LTD.<\/p>\n

Simon Finch<\/a><\/span> \u2013 BEST CHEERS LIMITED<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Christopher Rohan Martin<\/a><\/span>\u00a0-Trump Trading Limited\u00a0 <\/span>(https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/sri-lankans-in-panama-papers-full-list\/<\/a><\/span>)<\/p>\n

Paradise Papers<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

(https:\/\/offshoreleaks.icij.org\/investigations\/paradise-papers?c=LKA&d=ma<\/span><\/a><\/span>)<\/p>\n

Open and shut cases<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Apart from these people there are some open and shut cases that are getting old and slowly forgotten like the Bond Scam and the Sugar Scam. Why the AG\u2019s department is so slow to attend to these open and shut cases is a mystery.<\/p>\n

STAR (Stolen Assets Recovery)<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

StAR was launched by\u00a0the World Bank and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime\u00a0to facilitate the return of stolen assets and put an end to safe havens for corrupt funds. Thanks to the NPP government and AKD, our president, we have begun the process.<\/p>\n

Key components of Sri Lanka’s initiative<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Proceeds of Crime Act<\/b><\/span><\/a><\/span>:<\/b>\u00a0This landmark legislation, passed in April 2025, provides a comprehensive legal framework for asset recovery, including assets derived from unlawful activities.<\/p>\n

StAR Initiative partnership<\/span>:<\/b>\u00a0Sri Lanka continues to benefit from the StAR Initiative, which helps countries develop and implement asset recovery strategies through technical assistance and capacity building.<\/p>\n

New authorities<\/span>:<\/b>\u00a0The act establishes new bodies to manage asset recovery:<\/p>\n

Proceeds of Crime Investigation Division (PCID)<\/b><\/span><\/a><\/span>:<\/b><\/span>\u00a0Within the police, it is responsible for investigating and seizing assets.<\/p>\n

Proceeds of Crime Management Authority (PCMA)<\/b><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/em>:<\/b>\u00a0Responsible for the preservation, management, and potential compensation from recovered assets.<\/p>\n

Non-conviction based forfeiture<\/span>:<\/b>\u00a0This significant feature allows for the seizure of assets even without a criminal conviction, which is crucial to prevent assets from disappearing during lengthy legal processes.<\/p>\n

Increased investigative powers<\/span>:<\/b>\u00a0The new law grants significant power to investigators to freeze property and obtain court orders to prevent assets from being transferred or deteriorating while legal processes are underway.<\/p>\n

Complementary legislation<\/span>:<\/b>\u00a0The initiative works alongside other anti-corruption laws, such as the\u00a0Anti-Money Laundering Act<\/span><\/a><\/span>\u00a0and the\u00a0Anti-Corruption Act<\/span><\/a><\/span>, to create a broader framework for fighting financial crime.<\/p>\n

Only AKD\/NPP can do this<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

It is like plucking feathers from a tortoise to expect any other political party to attend to this task sincerely and forthrightly. STAR is not easy. It is going to take years. For the money trail fades away fast and keep the pelf mobile from one criminal haven to another. What with criminal countries like Switzerland and some dirty small countries like British Virgin Islands, Seychelles etc.\u00a0 <\/span>helping international crooks to hide the blood-money, the task gets more and more difficult.<\/p>\n

They also say \u201cset a thief to catch a thief\u201d. We are up against international criminals and crooked countries. The underworld and mafias will have methods of recovery that are fast and sure. Of course, I know AKD\/NPP will not approve of such methods. But I am tempted to expose a few such methods. Abduct a family member and give them one month to return the cash or \u2026\u2026\u2026.!\u00a0 <\/span>There are other more gruesome methods. Ask Kehelbaddara Padme.<\/p>\n

What I cannot stomach is that we allow these insects full freedom to do politics and we feed them (Even their birthday parties are paid by the President\u2019s Fund.) protect them and give them pensions. After getting the loot, as punishment, if we cannot hang them, we should at least exile these traitors as they are a liability and could betray Mother Lanka again and again.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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