CID To Probe Tiran's Revelation On Money Deal Linked To LTTE Influenced Election Boycott

The Criminal Investigations Department (CID) is to commence an investigation on Parliamentarian Tiran Alles and the alleged transaction with the LTTE which led to an presidential election boycott in the North in November, 2005.

Tiran Alles made a public revelation in 2010 saying Basil Rajapaksa personally handed over, at his office, Rs. 180 million to the then LTTE financial controller Emil Kanthan to ensure that the people of the north refrained from voting at the 2005 presidential election. Alles added that the deal took place at the request of the then presidential candidate Mahinda Rajapaksa.

Following a request by the then Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa to introduce him to a person capable of doing a deal with the LTTE, Allaes said he had introduced Emil Kanthan to Basil Rajapaksa. The meetig between Rajapaksa and Emil Kanthan, according to the Parliamentarian, was held at Alles’s office.

After consulting the LTTE leadership, Emil Kanthan had come back and said the outfit wanted Rs. 180 million to buy boats. Basil Rajapaksa said they only wanted the LTTE to get the people of the north to boycott the presidential polls.

He said he had revealed all these in his statement to the TID in 2007 subsequent to his arrest by them, and as a result the Attorney General had withdrawn all charges against him. Alles also said he had informed president Rajapaksa on February 14, 2007 about all these through a sworn affidavit signed by Ven. Uduwe Dhammaloka Thera who supports the president.

How Mahinda Rajapaksa Channeled Money to the LTTE

Originally published in the Sunday Leader in 2007

By Sonali Samarasinghe

Damning evidence of the government's secret deal with the LTTE has now surfaced, revealing President Mahinda Rajapakse granted unsolicited multi million rupee bogus housing projects to the Tigers to allegedly facilitate the transfer of money under the deal.

Emil Kanthan (Circled) with Namal

The bogus projects were being given to the Wanni even as a water crisis depriving some 15,000 farmers of water raged on in Mawilaru, a humanitarian crisis was brewing in Muttur resulting in thousands of Muslims being displaced from their homes, and hundreds of soldiers had been killed in fierce fighting ordered by Rajapakse no less.

The projects were whitewashed through a cabinet paper submitted on August 2, 2006 by Rajapakse himself well after the decision had already been taken and after a large sum of money had already been transferred to the said company.

Two Part Deal 
In fact it was part of the deal agreed upon before the presidential election with the LTTE in exchange for the Tigers enforcing a boycott of the poll in the north and east.

The deal with the Tigers our investigation reveals was two fold. The first part was the payment of a large sum of money by Basil Rajapakse to the LTTE front man Emil Kanthan. Some of the money was in dollar notes, the numbers of which the LTTE had noted before putting it to good use to further their goal for a separate state. 
The second part of the deal was to come into effect in the event of Mahinda Rajapakse's victory and was to include inter alia a housing project for the LTTE, disarming the Karuna group, appointing LTTE nominees to various political offices and resumption of talks in Thailand.

The cabinet note forwarded by the President on August 2, 2006 sought approval to grant the first housing project in the north and east in terms of the post election part of the deal. It was for forms sake to be under the Rebuilding the Nation Jayalanka Housing Programme and given to B & K Holdings (Pvt) Ltd. of No. 437A, 3rd Lane, Hirunavukulam, Thandikulum, Vavuniya. The deal was for the construction of 400 housing units at Trincomalee; and another 400 units in Batticaloa was awarded to Everest Civil Engineering services of 113/1, Mill Road, Kulangkulam, Vavuniya.

The note also states ambiguously that 400 other housing units will be implemented in other districts but do not even name the districts, merely stating the entire cost estimate for the 'required' 1200 housing units would be Rs. 757,166,000 (inclusive of consultancy fees).

Key Player
The key player in the entire drama was of course Emil Kanthan, the man the Attorney General's Department and the Terrorism Investigations Division have identified as a key LTTE intelligence officer in records filed in court.

In fact, former Airport and Aviation Chief Tiran Alles was arrested for allegedly providing funds to Kanthan, a matter he has hotly denied but an investigation by The Sunday Leader reveals it was none other than President Mahinda Rajapakse who provided funds to a front company of Kanthan under the guise of a housing project. 

The consultant named in the cabinet note is GS Builders & Consultants of Vavuniya, who top sources said was also connected to Emil Kanthan.