Anti-Corruption Front claims Avant-Garde and Rakna Lanka guilty

Wednesday, 11 March 2015 00:29 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

JHU National Organiser and Western Provincial Council Member Nishantha Sri Warnasinghe – Pic by Lasantha Kumara The Anti-Corruption Front (ACF) yesterday criticised a statement made by Minister of Plantation Industries, Lakshman Kiriella - who claimed that the Avant-Garde and Rakna Lanka security service firms were faultless - saying that by making such statements the Government was only trying to protect the former Defence Secretary and former Chief Justice and bury crimes. UNP Western Provincial Councillor Shiral Lakth-ilake, addressing a news briefing yesterday, said that the Avant-Garde security firm was guilty and claimed that it had robbed people’s money while violating the law both locally and internationally. “Kiriella said that these organisations were faultless in Parliament. All we have to say to Kiriella is that he has been misled. Avant-Garde is an international arms dealing organisation. If you visit the website of Avant-Garde it is obvious that they sell arms. So we urge the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and the police unit looking into large-scale financial corruption issues to investigate these issues as Avant-Garde is not a guilt-free organisation and they have committed many crimes,” Lakthilake said. Commenting further, he said that Kiriella’s statement was untrue and irresponsible and he questioned which side the authorities were on, that of the people or the criminals. Lakthilake also claimed that officials of the new Government were starting to walk on a path of corruption while stating that Kiriella was trying to whitewash the Avant-Garde issue to protect former Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa and former Chief Justice Mohan Peiris as they were both members of the Avant-Garde Board. Speaking about the responsibility of the authorities, Lakthilake alleged that they were trying to deceive the people concerning those guilty of corrupt practices by only questioning them over minor offences.

Gotabaya claims he has never done anything illegal

Former Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa recently commenting on the foreign travel restriction imposed on him told media that had never done anything illegal and always stood by the law. Rajapaksa made these remarks to the media soon after his passport was impounded on Monday. He said: “I have given all the details in connection with the incident to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and even the probe into the incident has not been completed. We never left the country regardless what difficulties we had to face. Some people are attempting to portray us as thieves and murderers to the world. But people of this country know what we did and who we are. We never looted public properties. It is unfair to hinder us, who served the country this way.” Rajapaksa also added that moves against them were being plotted to gain political advantage. “I know that a few officers of the Attorney General’s Department are involved in this,” he told the media.