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| Presenting the Report on Srilankan Airlines |
Good governance activists in Sri Lanka urged the Chairman of
Transparency International Sri Lanka to resign form all posts he currently
holds, including the Special Presidential Task Force for the recovery of
illegally acquired state assets.
“Just saw the Colombo
Telegraph story on the Sri Lankan Airlines inquiry – the Weliamuna report.
Extremely disappointed myself. I was under the impression that the work done
was voluntary – this is what was told to people with links to Transparency
International Sri Lanka (TISL). For your information, J. C. Weliamuna is the
Chairman of TISL – still. Absolute conflict of interest.” an activist and a
staff member of the Transparency International Sri Lanka told Colombo Telegraph
last night.
“He must resign from all posts” another staff member and a
good governance activist said.
Colombo Telegraph carried two stories ( click here and here)
describing that Weliamuna was the former Executive Director of Transparency
International Sri Lanka. We apologise for the error.
JC Weliamuna is the Chairman of Transparency International Sri
Lanka, co-convener of the Lawyers Collective, Lawyers for democracy and a key member of the Friday Forum. On 29th of
April, he was appointed as a member of the Special Presidential Task Force for
the recovery of illegally acquired state assets by President Maithripala
Sirisena.
We asked Weliamuna to reveal the amount he was paid to
investigate Sri Lankan Airlines – the first government-commissioned inquiry
into the previous Rajapaksa regimes’s corruption and malpractices.
Three days ago Weliamuna speaking to Colombo Telegraph
confirmed that he along with his team comprising three other members U.H.
Palihakkara, B.A.W. Abeywardane and M.K. Bandara were paid Rs 3.5 million. At
that time Colombo Telegraph did request for a breakdown from the chairman of
Transparency International Sri Lanka, Weliamuna but he was not in a position to
do so. A subsequent email was sent to him seeking this information. Weliamuna
has not responded to that question as yet. The day before yesterday we emailed
Weliamuna once again and requested him to furnish at least the amount he did
receive as his fee but he is yet to respond to that question as well.
Previously when we reported the “Colombo Telegraph blockade,
the internet provider Dialog Axiata PLC’s and the Jayantha Dhanapala issue“,
Weliamuna told Colombo Telegraph, that “Every individual has a right to raise
matters of conflict of interest and such matters are generally raised in the
public interest (as opposed to private interests). Conflicts can arise in any
sphere including private companies and even media organisations and therefore I
believe that Colombo Telegraph, like any citizen, has every right to raise it
in the public interest.”
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| Screenshot from TISL Website |
TISL website says;
J. C. Weliamuna (Chairman)
Mr. J C Weliamuna is one of Sri Lanka’s leading public
interest and Constitutional lawyers, with 24 years active practice. He had
appeared in hundreds of leading human rights and constitutional cases including
landmark governance related case. He holds a Master of Laws from the University
of Colombo, where he served as a visiting lecturer. He is also an Eisenhower
and a Senior Ashoka Fellow.
After establishing his legal career in commercial law, Mr.
Weliamuna moved into the fields of constitutional and human rights law, and
became an active contributor to local and foreign media on governance and human
rights challenges in Sri Lanka. He has played a leadership role in several pro
democratic movements in the country and in the sub region.
He was TI Sri Lanka’s first Executive Director, where he
served from 2002 until 2010. Presently he serves as a director of TI’s Board
after being elected by Global membership of TI movement in 2010.
“There ought to be transparency on both the framework set
for the inquiry and the basis for charging – the danger is this ends with those
involved profiteering without [the public gaining] adequate benefits”, a
Finance Ministry official told Colombo Telegraph on the condition of anonymity.
The final ‘Weliamuna Report’ report was submitted to the
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe on the 31st March 2015 and recommended
criminal investigations into the entire re-fleeting process and had noted
instances where former chairman Wickramasinghe, a brother-in-law of former
President Mahinda Rajapaksa and airlines’ CEO, Kapila Chandrasena, should be
prosecuted.
Mean while, yesterday, Ruwan F. Guruge, the owner of Sri
Lanka Mirror emailed the following story [of his own website carried] to the
editor of Colombo Telegraph, copying to J.C. Weliamuna, Krishantha Cooray, one
of the UNP exco members and the head of the UNP media unit and also to the
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mangala Samaraweera. His email reads as follows:
An organised mudslinging campaign targeting Attorney-At-Law
– J.C. Weliamuna has commenced after investigations have commenced on the
Weliamuna report committee with regard to the irregularities at Sri Lankan
Airlines.
It is said that an advance payment of Rs. 12 million has
been made for the mudslinging campaign.
The former chairman of Sri Lankan Airlines was non other
than the brother of former first lady – Shiranthi Rajapaksa.
The Weliamuna report has revealed of staggering financial
irregularities and corruption that has taken place between 2006 – 2014.
The report was handed over to the President and the Sri
Lankan Airlines chairman on March 30.
A lawyer tasked with the campaign against the report and
Weliamuna, has been paid an advance of Rs. 10 million. According to sources, a
trade union of Sri Lankan Airlines has been tasked with the mudslinging
campaign and for this purpose an advance payment of Rs. 02 million has been
made.
The mission, which is headed by a prominent official of the
Rajapaksa government is also joined by a group of officials facing charges by
the Weliamuna committee report.
Editor’s note – “Weliamuna has been a great contributor to
Colombo Telegraph, a friend but moreover he is my private lawyer who is
representing me in the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka. CT did ask Weliamuna a
simple question for the benefit of our readers – the question was pertaining to
the fee the Weliamuna team had been paid. When Weliamuna was contacted over the
phone he did confirm the fee to be a sum of Rs 3.5million in total but he was
not in a position to provide a break down at that time. CT did write to him
subsequently but he is yet to reply us.”
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