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| Dileepa Wijesundera |
Lalith de Silva has resigned with effect from March 13 but will not have duties from March 09, the firm said in a stock exchange filing.
But he has "agreed to assist the company" in the transition.
Wijesundera has a Bachelor of Science degree from Kingston University UK and a Master of Science in Management from Loughborough University.
Read the link below to find more about Dileepa Wijaesundera:-
http://www.thesundayleader.lk/archive/20060402/spotlight.htm
Excerpts from the article by Sonali Samarasinghe @ Sunday Leader below:-
"K Port and Dileepa
The Sri Lanka Ports Authority decided to go ahead with K Port despite contravening financial regulations which prohibited the government from going ahead with unsolicited proposals sans proper tender procedures through public advertisement.
However the project was held in abeyance in the run up to the presidential election last year when trade unions threatened to cripple the port alleging the deal would lead to considerable retrenchment and would cause a 15 percent drop in SLPA revenue.
It soon became clear that Port Minister Mangala Samaraweera’s buddy specially flown down from Canada to take over the job, Chairman Dileepa Wijesundera was overly keen to go ahead with the deal. On January 15 this year distressed workers sent a letter of protest to the Minister and on receiving no reply the Ports Workers Union was to send another letter on March 1 to President Mahinda Rajapakse.
Whether it was his inability to handle the controversies into which he had now been plunged or otherwise on March 17, 2006, Kuthubdeen was to write to the chairman and board of directors of the Sri Lanka Ports Authority and withdraw his request for a joint venture for the operations and management of the dry port.That is not before he tried to use his political clout to muzzle this newspaper albeit unsuccessfully.
Dileepa connection
Whatever the story on K Port, that Dileepa Wijesundera and Kuthubdeen have become firm friends is somewhat sure. For just a few weeks ago a consignment arrived by ship from Dubai. Reliable sources say the consignment contained household items and was sent by Kamil Kuthubdeen who has a range of interests in Dubai. The consignment Reference NYKV 6970475 in container number 80/A3 vessel number PNO 3/10/5 Dubai Came to Sri Lanka in the name of Dharshani Weerasinghe.
Dharshani Weerasinghe is of course the brand new wife of Chairman, SLPA Dileeepa Wijesundera who tied the knot just two weeks ago with Minister Samaraweera as attesting witness.
In fact the reason Kuthubdeen is now in hiding is more to do with President Rajapakse tightening the screws by taking a special interest in the matter than anything else. It is also Rajapakse’s interest in this case that is strengthening the hand of the CID to go flat out with the investigation. Last week the President brought the matter up at Wednesday’s cabinet meeting. Later on two occasions in public, he expressed grave concern over the magnitude of the fraud. He declined a dinner invitation to the house of young up and coming politician Mayantha Dissanayake’s when it was revealed that Kamil Kuthubdeen was one of the dinner guests. (See The Sunday Leader of March 26). Mayantha is the younger brother of UNP MP Navin Dissanayake.
In fact Mohamed Hamza, Kamil Kuthubdeen’s brother was Imtiyaz Bakeer Markar’s personal secretary when he was media minister under the UNP. But the connection to the former minister goes further than that. Kuthubdeen is married to Markar’s niece.
But his tentacles reach much further than just the UNP ministers. UPFA Deputy Minister Sripathi Sooriyaarachchi is a politician who more often than not acts like a chook without a head but he is not above helping the likes of Kuthubdeen.
Only last year in February 2005 at the behest of Kuthubdeen, Sooriyaarachchi was to call for the Acquisition Certificate issued by the Urban Development Authority pertaining to a land belonging to Kamil Kuthubdeen. Sooriyaarachchi who was the deputy minister of youth affairs gloriously interfering into the matters of the UDA and making unwanted forays into Minister Dinesh Gunawardena’s territory, ordered director lands Dolakumbura to fax him a copy of this certificate for his perusal.
Kuthubdeen had complained to him that one of his numerous properties was being acquired by the UDA. On February 16, 2005 Dolakumbura obediently faxed a copy of the certificate minuting it as follows:
"Hon Sripathi Sooriyaarachchi, Dy. Minister of Youth Affairs, Sir as requested sec 44 certificate faxed for your kind information pl." (See elsewhere on this page for copy of certificate)
Director of Lands Dolakumbura, when contacted by The Sunday Leader was too busy to make comment.
In or around early 2004, Kuthubdeen was to buy from one M.S.M.Wasik the premises bearing assessement No. 403, R.A.De Mel Mawatha, Colombo 3. He was to write to Minister in charge of Urban Development Authority, Dinesh Gunawardena on May 27, 2004 seeking a waiver of an additional payment to the UDA for exceeding floor area ratio of an amended building plan.
Earlier on July 31, 2002 the UDA had already refused permission to build on these premises on the basis that the proposed building was not in conformity with regulations as the floor area ratio exceeded the regulatory requirement. The letter refusing permission was signed by (Mrs) W.D.S. Indrasiri, director (enforcement)UDA and the letter was addressed to Mr I Seneviratne, No.481, Galle Road Colombo 3.
It was only in 2004 that the property was bought over by Kamil Kuthubdeen together with the UDA restrictions in place. However he was not willing to be irritated by regulations and what not. And he immediately wrote to Minister Gunawardena a letter impatient in every detail. "After making purchase consideration for the premises, I now understand that the UDA has kept the approval of the final amended building plan pending in seeking an additional payment to UDA on grounds of exceeding floor ratio etc."
"I seek your intervention," Kuthubdeen demands, "In seeking a waiver of this additional payment as I find it unbearable. Your favourable directive on this matter would be greatly appreciated."
While the young Kamil was using his political clout on the one hand he was exploiting his business connections on the other. Informed sources told The Sunday Leader that Kuthubdeen allegedly used a Pettah money changer called Omar Khan to transfer the money he made through the VAT refunds out of the country.
After The Sunday Leader expose last Sunday (26) Omar Khan fled the country to Dubai via India. Kuthubdeen owns a three star 107 room hotel in Dubai called K Porte Inn at PO Box 55954 Al Rigga Street Deira, Dubai. Another luxury hotel is said to be under construction also in Dubai. Omar Khan’s brother in law, one Noordeen is Kuthubdeen’s partner at K Porte Inn and reportedly runs it for him.
But Kamil Kuthubdeen was not always so affluent. Before 2002 he was so hard up for cash he borrowed money from a lady working at the British High Commission and was unable to pay it back. The said lady who had also borrowed money from certain other persons in order to help Kuthubdeen was embarrassed by it all and later slipped out to England herself. It is not immediately clear whether she was repaid or otherwise later on.
Be that as it may it was not always a case of money bags for the young businessman. Meanwhile he was also a dealer for Mobitel in the late 1990s and in 2000. After the UNP’s rise to power in December 2001 young Kuthubdeen used his connections with Imtiyaz Bakeer Markar to rise up in the world and make considerable in roads. Imtiyaz Bakeer Markar was minister of telecommunications while Thilanga Sumathipala at the time was chairman, Telecom.
It was during this period that Kuthubdeen got into the business of call termination, a lucrative telecommunications side line especially dealing with low cost calling cards.An operation not strictly legal since it deprives legitimate dues to the state. The system is called Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) and is a cheap way to make overseas calls.
At the same time under the auspices of his political friends and relations he started to dabble in the pharmaceutical business. It was during this period that the VAT scam was also beginning to gather momentum. According to the CID evidence available so far the period in which 235 cheques for the sum of Rs. 3.57 billion was issued was November 15, 2002 to August 24, 2004."
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