JVP blasts Justice Minister for dragging his feet over Carom board fraud

By Ashwin Hemmathagama – 

Our Lobby Correspondent

The Ministry of Justice and Ministry of Law and Order and Southern Development were charged for dragging their feet by not producing the suspects behind the Rs. 11.5 million worth carom and draught board imports made during the Rajapaksa regime.

According to opposition lawmaker Anura Dissanayake, these carom and draught boards were imported through Sathosa based on the instructions issued by Ministry of Sports and distributed among 14,000 political offices of the UPFA established to support Presidential candidate Mahinda Rajapaksa. “Now that the internal investigations carried out by the FCID have concluded why not produce the suspects to Fort Magistrates Court? Only a B- report has been filed and the Ministry of Justice and Ministry of Law and Order and Southern Development are passing the file between each other,” said MP Dissanayake proposing the Ministry of Sports have its own internal investigation over the matter.

In response, Minister of Sports Dayasiri Jayasekara informed Parliament the last hearing at Fort Magistrates Court was held on 6 November and his ministry has no responsibility with placing the order or settling the payment to Sathosa.

“According to audit query No.EHS/A/investigation/2015 and the audit query dated 14 October of the Auditor general and the statement given by the storekeeper of the Department of Sports Development, the storekeeper has signed several documents of Sathosa, to the effect that the above goods were received by him on the verbal orders of the then Director General and the Secretary’s office. But Sathosa had not brought those items or handed them over physically.

Accepting the lapses at Ministry of Sports or the Department of Sports Development for not following the proper procurement procedure, Minister Jayasekara said: “Any request or requirement to that effect had not been taken up for discussion at any progress review meeting. But the instructions of the then Minister’s Coordinating Officer’s letter No. MS/Mos/3403 dated 7 November 2014, the Ministerial Secretary had been informed to issue a letter to the Sathosa to import 14,000 carom and draughts boards on duty-free basis. Accordingly, the Secretary has informed Sathosa on the same day to import the said boards of high quality.”

With the fraudulent importation of the boards being taken up to FCID, investigations were conducted under a Senior DIG of Police on 21 October under SDIG/FCID/OUT/1556/15. “Based on the findings FCIS has already informed the Attorney General who would decide the on the suspects and the charges against them after all extracts of investigations have been referred,” added Minister Jayasekara.