Dilith sues BBC, BBC Sinhala Service for Sterling Pounds 10 m

Tuesday, 15 November 2011 01:43 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

High net worth investor and professional Dilith Jayaweera has sent Letters of Demand to British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) for broadcasting an interview with Shan Wickremesinghe of TNL Network (Pvt) Ltd. on Sandeshaya BBC Sinhala Service on 26 October 2011 and for carrying an article quoting the same allegations on the BBC Sinhala.com website of the same date.

Letters were dispatched to BBC, UK and its local representative office last week demanding a sum of Sterling Pounds 5 million (around Rs. 875 million) each and Jayaweera is awaiting a response.

Considering the unfounded allegations made in the above publications, Jayaweera plans to file defamatory charges against Sandeshaya BBC Sinhala Service and BBC Sinhala.com in the event that this demand is not met.

Jayaweera has already sent a Letter of Demand claiming Rs. 500 million to Wickremesinghe and his co-host on TNL Isira Radio ‘Dasadesin Puwathpath’ programme, Sudath Jaysundera, for comments made on the show. Wickremesinghe and Jayasundera claimed that funds used by Jayaweera in stock trading were generated through drug trafficking and money laundering. He further claimed that the downfall of the Colombo stock market was due to the lack of funds in the aftermath of the shooting of MP Duminda Silva.

According to the said Letter of Demand, Jayaweera is a Director of 35 companies, including four public quoted companies, and is an Attorney-at-Law by profession.