Customer sues bank

By Lakmal Sooriyagoda

The Colombo Fort Magistrate this week issued summons on the Chairman of Seylan Bank to appear in Court on July 24 regarding a case filed by a bank customer over misappropriation of her money deposited in the bank.

Making a complaint with Colombo Fraud Investigations Bureau, the complainant Shirani Anoma Dullewa of Nawala complained that she opened a private bank account by depositing US$ 22,659 and Rs. 105,580 with Seylan Bank (the branch located at the Sir Baron Jayatilleka Mawatha in Colombo 1) on 4 October 1995.

The complainant alleged that though she had asked the bank to reveal the details regarding the dividends to the deposited money when she visited the bank on 17 February 2006, the bank had failed do so.

She alleged that then banking officers attached to the Fort branch may have misappropriated the money and requested an inquiry into the matter.

When the case came before Magistrate Kanishka Wijeratne, the counsel who appeared for the bank informed Court that the bank was not in a position to present in Court the relevant details since they had been destroyed after six years. He further informed Court that the former bank managers who were involved in the incident had retired and the bank was not aware of their whereabouts.  

In this occasion, the Magistrate observed that the bank could not act in an irresponsible manner even after a lapse of hundreds of years and further observed that the bank should hold the responsibility for the depositors’ money.

Counsel Deemani Beddewela appearing for the aggrieved party told Court that her client had all documents to prove that she deposited money in the bank.

The CFIB filing a further report moved Court for an order to be issued against the bank, ordering it to pay the money back to the complainant.

Having considered the submissions, the Magistrate issued summons on Seylan Bank Chairman Mohan Pieris and Rohana Mohandram, an officer attached to the Legal Unit of the bank, to appear in Court on 24 July in this regard.