Sri Lanka shares more info on Rajapaksa deals


2015-02-21

Sri Lanka has shared more information with India on the billions of dollars that its new government alleges members of the previous regime headed by Mahinda Rajapaksa had stashed abroad, to support the island nation's request for New Delhi's help to set up a Financial Intelligence Unit to trace the money.
During his India trip earlier this week, new Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena told the Indian leadership about accounts in tax havens such as the St Martin Islands, Hong Kong, Macau and Seychelles where he claimed much of the money had been moved to, government officials privy to the discussions told ET. Sirisena also informed Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other Indian leaders about investments that were allegedly made by the Rajapaksa family in real-estate projects in Dubai, Uganda and Kenya, the officials said.

Sirisena indicated that his government was very serious about pursuing corruption charges against the former president and that it has set up a commission to investigate the charges. As per diplomatic sources, Lankan Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera also sought US help in unearthing the money, during his trip there on February 11-15.

Sirisena and the coalition of parties led by him had made corruption a key issue in their successful January election campaign and are moving quickly to fulfil promises.
According to them, powerful figures in the previous government had stashed away $5 billion. The Lankan Cabinet has appointed a high-powered "rapid response team" to look into allegations of corruption in land transactions, stock market price-fixing and abuse of state funds for political purposes. Rajapaksa hasn't yet commented on the allegations.

Officials also pointed out that the meeting between Sirisena and Modi was extremely cordial, which was in stark contrast to interactions with Rajapaksa. New Delhi had been wary about Colombo's close ties under Rajapaksa with Beijing. Sirisena has apparently indicated willingness to correct the China tilt, officials said.
"Rajapaksa, ignoring India's security concerns, continued to deepen defence cooperation with the Chinese government and was even willing to elevate Sino-Sri Lanka relations to a strategic cooperation," an Indian official said. (The Economic Times)

Comments

  1. Anonymous23 February 2015 at 04:17

    Seychelles gone to sleep? Money laundering in Seychelles is no secret. Why is the Government not taking action?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous24 February 2015 at 00:41

    A NEw Poltical Party is in the making with Maggy as leader......TOTOF would be more marginalize by the arrival of a new political party......he might have to close his one-man political party which is just a waste of tax payers money.The New new Party will be named something Like CONSERVATIVE party--Would they be Conservative in their actions to defend and protect Seychelleois hweritage,Culture,Nationality,fight dissposssion of Seychellois from their patrimony,ask Pl to bring back on 2,4 billions,challenge Pl on these illegal foreginers it recruited to illegal colonize our institiuions as an indepence and sovereign Nation.......That GOP are not illegaly handed over our passport when their GOP terminated but leave Seychelles and go home in order to allow new EXPATS to benfit from the generous possibility wwe offer them..stop illegal Hindu religious Proccession on our streets for they are not Seychellois but Expat worekrs ,,,Destory the illegal Hindu temple that has nothing to dso with Seychellis but sing of colonization of our land by Indains ..stop Indain Mabassador rasing his Indain Flag and filmed by ONE IM each year as if we a colony of India..etc..etc..etc..

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous24 February 2015 at 00:44

    The fact that Pl thugs reamin slilent typifies their invovlemnt ...how could they investigate themselves?They allrecividists ,addicted to crooked habits only a new government would fix things and expose fully thosePl monkeys crimes ..but Sri Lankan investigation would surely bring out light on Pl involvement and partidipation in organized international crimes.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous24 February 2015 at 04:23

    WHEN MONEY SPEAKS......THE TRUTH IS SILENT.
    KI MON KAPAB DIR ANKOR......DON LI ANKOR CENK.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anonymous25 February 2015 at 08:41

    India 900 dead so far from swine flu,test those EXPATS when landing on our shore please!We have healthcare not capable of to stoping it spreading.

    ReplyDelete

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