PRECIFAC continues to probe into Avant Garde

• Grills more top officials of Rakna Lanka and Avant Garde, including Nissanka Senadipathi
• Requests to remove 13 top state officials to maintain impartiality of investigations

By Shanika Sriyananda

The Presidential Commission of Inquiry into Investigate and Inquire into Serious Acts of Fraud, Corruption and Abuse of Power, State Resources and Privileges (PRECIFAC) is to continue its probe into the alleged illegal firearm handling by Avant Garde Maritime Services Limited (AGMSL).

A few weeks ago, PRECIFAC had conducted an ‘on-board’ investigation at the MV Avant Garde vessel with ammunitions and weapons at Galle Port in an effort to find a link between AGMSL’s and the Rakna Arakshana Lanka Ltd (RALL).

PRECIFAC Secretary Lacille De Silva told the Daily FT that the PRECIFAC investigators will grill more top officials of the RALL and AGMSL to probe their involvement in handling illegal weapons found at the floating armory of the AGMSL.

“The PRECIFAC will not have a separate investigation into AGMSL, it is a part of an on-going investigation into RALL,” he said.

De Silva confirmed that Avant Garde Chairman Nissanka Senadipathi has been summoned to PRECIFAC to make a statement on 20 November.

“He will be questioned on AGMSL’s floating armory, which was found to contain a haul of weapons and ammunitions, now under the custody of the Sri Lanka Navy at the Galle Port,” De Silva said.

The former Justice Ministry’s Additional Secretary Damayanthi Jayaratne, who had earlier accepted that firearms to RALL were issued violating proper legal procedures, has also been summoned again this week by PRECIFAC to record a statement on the alleged purchasing of firearms.

Senadipathi, who was a Major of the Sri Lanka Army, will also be grilled over alleged purchasing of weapons from RALL.

Meanwhile, PRECIFAC has made a written request to the Government to remove 13 top Government officials attached to several ministries, corporations and institutions in an effort to maintain the investigation’s impartiality as these officials may be ‘stumbling blocks’.

PRECIFAC sources allege that the 13 senior officials in question at these institutions have been involved in large scale frauds, corruption and misuse of public money and power and would disrupt the PRECIFAC investigations.

De Silva disclosed the 13 top state officials include an Additional Secretary of the Justice Ministry, the Secretary of Mahiyanganaya Pradeshiya Sabha, officials from the Ceylon Fishing Corporation, Coconut Research Institute and three officers of the Independent Television Network (ITN).

De Silva concluded, “We find that the Government should take serious disciplinary action against them, for their involvement in alleged large scale frauds, corruption and misuse of public money and power but instead we have requested the Government to remove them from their present posts to facilitate our investigations.”