CID to obtain analytical report on IRD backup

By Lakmal Sooriyagoda

The Criminal Investigations Department (CID) yesterday informed Court that it would be obtain an analytical report from the Colombo University over the backup data of Inland Revenue Department’s (IRD) computer system to ascertain the persons who unauthorizely accessed it, in connection with the Rs. 184 million frauds.

In this case two IRD officers along with a company director had been remanded for allegedly defrauding Rs. 184 million due in tax revenue by deleting records of seven companies. The CID alleged that Mahendra Wijeratne, a company director, had conspired with IRD officers in deleting and altering the tax revenue records to get his company data deleted from the tax records.

When the case came up before Colombo Fort Magistrate Kanishka Wijeratne, senior counsel Kalinga Indatissa appearing for the first suspect K.R. Lesley Rowel, a computer division analyst asked the CID to reveal and name the persons who had been authorised to access the department computer system.

In reply, the CID said that it would obtain an analytical report from the Colombo University over the matter. Counsel further observed that the allegations levelled by CID under the Public Property Act cannot be maintained and that the suspects could have been charged under the Computer Crimes Act No. 24 of 2007 as the matter was to do with computer data.

Counsel for the second suspect Garlis Nakandala, an IRD assessor, also maintained a similar stance stating that his client too cannot be charged under Public Property Act. Having considered the submissions, Colombo Fort Magistrate Kanishka Wijeratne ordered that the three suspects be remanded till 16 November.

In this case, the CID is investigating a complaint lodged by IRD Deputy Commissioner Susil Asoka Jayalath. The investigations had revealed that the three suspects had been involved in defrauding the department of a massive amount in tax revenue.

The CID informed Court that computer data pertaining to seven companies had been altered and that tax revenue amounting to Rs. 11 million due to have been paid by a company had been completely erased from the computer data storage disks.

The CID said the suspects had committed punishable offences under section 113, 102, 386, 398, 400, 403, 453 and 454 of the Penal Code as well as the Public Property Act.