The commission appointed by the Western
Provincial Council Chief Minister, Reginald
Cooray probed into the allegations of
maladministration within the Colombo
Municipal Council.
Commission report
The one man commission appointed to
investigate the allegations levelled against
the CMC members for violating financial and
administrative regulations, in its report
dated December 31, 2007 has stated that the
council members have been found guilty of
six charges out of a total of nine, and has
specifically noted that the lack of a proper
educational background and the poor literacy
rate of the new entrants to the CMC had
resulted in the creation of an ‘unskilled
Municipal Council.’
Meanwhile, since the commission had to
investigate the allegations in detail, the
given time frame had to be extended on three
occasions. The allegations that had been
levelled against the council administration
were forwarded to the Commissioner, Local
Government (Western Province) for necessary
action.
In the meantime, CMC employees too have
levelled allegations against the Municipal
Council members and the CMC administration
over several fraudulent deals.
Among them were frauds pertaining to a
land, and bribery and corruption that had
allegedly taken place during the previous
municipal council regime.
The other allegations levelled against
the CMC administration were irregularities
by the present CMC flying squad, alleged
fraud perpetrated by the acting chief
security officer, Somaratna, bribery and
corruption at the CMC security division, and
corruption in the public health department.
There are also allegations levelled against
Municipal Commissioner, Dr. Jayantha
Liyanage by the former Deputy Mayor, Azath
Sally.
Separate investigation
Since the commission was appointed to
inquire into the malpractices of the
Municipal Council members, Justice
Chandradasa Nanayakkara had recommended a
separate investigation to probe into the
allegations levelled by the municipal
members against the three CMC executive
officers — the Municipal Commissioner, Dr.
Jayantha Liyanage, Director - Solid Waste
Lalith Wickremaratne and Acting Municipal
Secretary, Gamini Gunasekara to ascertain
their role in the CMC administration which
has led to the present situation in the
council.
The first three charges of the six that
the Municipal Council has been found guilty
of pertains to the extension of solid waste
removal contracts given to Care Clean Pvt.
Ltd., of 96A, Dutugemunu Mawatha, Kohuwela
and Abans Environmental Pvt. Ltd., 141,
Kirula Road, Colombo 5, for a further two
year period with effect from March 31, 2007
and July 31, 2007, respectively.
According to the report, Dr. Jayantha
Liyanage, Director — Solid Waste, Lalith
Wickremaratne and the Council Clerk, H.G.
Siripala in their evidence before the
commission have stated that the council’s
decision in extending the contract offered
to Care Clean Pvt. Ltd., and Abans
Environmental Pvt. Ltd., was against the
council’s finance and administrative
regulations.
They have further stated that
although the council was informed that
tender procedures had to be followed to
ensure transparency the council had
vehemently refused to follow such procedures
and had acted according to its wishes.
Yet another allegation of malpractice
that has come to light is the purchase of
1590 Usha sewing machines for council
members.
The sewing machines were meant to be
given to unemployed persons in order to help
them make a living.
Illegal amendment
However, it was alleged that council
members had illegally amended the approval
letter in order to acquire the machines for
themselves.
According to the report the
recommendations were made to the council
through the poverty alleviation programme to
distribute the sewing machines to the
unemployed to uplift their living standards.
The council had got the approval amended
on November 23, 2006 enabling the council
members to get the machines for themselves,
the report further added.
It was also indicated that although the
council had paid Rs. 20,590,500 to Telesonic
International, the sewing machines that were
brought to the CMC had been taken back by
the same company, raising questions as to
what had happened to the machines and
whether the machines were distributed among
the needy people as envisaged. According to
the report, this whole operation was against
the Western Provincial Council’s
administrative regulations.
Charges proved
The fifth and the sixth charges against
the council that were proved following the
investigation were the dishonesty of the
council in purchasing asbestos and
galvanised sheets in order to improve the
living standard of the underprivileged
people in the city.
Although recommendations were made to
distribute the roofing sheets among the
poor, it was noted that the council had once
again got the approval for council members
to obtain the galvanised and asbestos
roofing sheets. According to the council
treasury, questions arose as to why the
council had failed to submit the names of
the recipients before the purchases were
made and why the council members obtained
the sheets for themselves.
Giving evidence before the commission,
former Municipal Commissioner, Dr. Jayantha
Liyanage and Municipal Treasurer, K.W.K.
Premadasa have stated that the CMC had to
pay Rs. 8,597,662 for 10211 asbestos sheets
and Rs. 5,227,440 for 5682 galvanised sheets
which had been taken away by council
members, once again flouting the financial
and administrative regulations of the
council.
In the report, Justice Nanayakkara has
observed that the allegations have been
proved through the evidence tabled.
He stated that the allegations levelled
against the CMC administration by its own
members were serious and should be looked
into, and has suggested a separate
investigation into the allegations. He has
further stated that the three executive
officers of the CMC should be held
responsible for the maladministration of the
affairs of the council.
Meanwhile Colombo Municipal Commissioner
Dr. Jayantha Liyanage told The Sunday
Leader that the Chandradasa Nanayakkara
Commission probed only the council
irregularities and not the three executive
officers of the CMC.
"In the report it clearly states that a
separate inquiry has to be held to ascertain
whether the three CMC executive officers are
guilty of the alleged charges and the
commission only inquired into the
malpractices of the council members," Dr.
Liyanage added.
Dr. Liyanage further stated that he
learnt Chief Minister Reginald Cooray has
requested President Mahinda Rajapakse to
dissolve the council in order to hold a
fresh election.
"If the council as claimed by the Mayor
was not found guilty over the alleged
allegations the CM would not have requested
the President to dissolve the council. That
proves who has been found guilty by the
Nanayakkara Commission," Liyanage said.
|
Mayor too ‘busy’ to read commission
report
Denying the allegations levelled against
him and the council in general, Colombo
Mayor Mohamad Imthiaz told The Sunday
Leader that the Chandradasa
Nanayakkara Commission failed to prove
that they were at fault.
"Who says that we have violated the
council regulations and had offered
contracts according to our whims and
fancies? We have done nothing wrong. The
Nanayakkara Commission has only reported
the Municipal Commissioner’s failure to
uphold the administration. That is why
he has been sent on compulsory leave.
Apart from that the commission could not
prove that we are at fault," said
Imthiaz.
However when The Sunday Leader
pointed out that the Nanayakkara
Commission report had clearly indicated
that the Municipal Council was found
guilty of six of the nine charges
levelled against it, Imthiaz said that
he could not accept the allegations
since he has not seen the report so far.
"I have been very busy these days and
I have had no time to collect the report
so far to find out what it states,"
added Imthiaz. |
While the frontline soldiers in the army
are off "crusading to preserve the
sovereignty and territorial integrity of the
motherland" in the deadly battles of the
Wanni, some lucky souls associated to the
army have the privilege of ‘cruising’— no
crusading for them — in a brand spanking new
Merdeces Benz W221 (2006) S350L.
Any vehicle enthusiast will tell you that
the ‘S-Class’ series is Mercedes Benz’s most
vaunted line of super-luxury vehicles, just
one notch down from their legendary
ultra-luxury Maybach Benz series. The
vehicle was purchased as a "staff car" by
the army’s Ordinance Directorate on March 14
at a price of Rs. 44 million.
Cost of variation
What’s more, the ‘L’ suffix after the
S350 indicates one minute variation at a
cost of Rs. 3 million. A sales manager at
Dimo, Sri Lanka’s sole agent for Mercedes
Benz, told The Sunday Leader that the
difference between the L (meaning long
wheelbase) and the standard version was that
the long wheelbase version has an extra 15
cm of legroom in the back seat.
For some of us shaken by the skyrocketing
cost of living, if we required more legroom
in the back seat we would politely ask the
driver and front seat passenger to pull
their seats forward by about 15 cm. Others
with the privilege of spending public money
to stretch their legs, it appears, can have
the army shell out an extra 30 lakhs — the
price of a couple of cars — for a long
wheelbase Benz.
After shelling out Rs. 200,000 per
centimetre of extra legroom, we hope at the
least that the vehicle’s intended occupant
is comfortable. This begs the question of
who the super-luxury vehicle is intended
for. We called and asked Military Spokesman,
Brigadier Udaya Nannayakara if he could
confirm the purchase, to which he said he
would check with the army and revert the
next day.
However when we called the next day to
follow up the question with Brigadier
Nanayakara he stonewalled. "I have no
information. You will have to check with
Dimo," he said.
When The Sunday Leader contacted
army Major M.A.V. Gunarathna who signed the
purchase order for the Rs. 44 million
vehicle "for the Commander of the Army," and
asked him who the vehicle was for, he
replied that it was for the use of senior
army staff.
Starving masses
We pressed the Major on the question of
how a senior army officer could travel in a
normal, unarmoured vehicle given the current
security situation. He had no response. We
finally asked him why the army spent Rs. 44
million on a luxury vehicle when it could
not be used by the Army Commander or any
senior officer at risk from the LTTE due to
the fact that it was not armoured.
"What is your problem (gattaluma)
with the price of the vehicle?" he retorted.
It is not us who have a problem, we thought
to ourselves, but the starving masses.
Sources have revealed to The Sunday
Leader that the vehicle is intended not
for Army Commander Sarath Fonseka, but
allegedly for the use of his wife. The
decision to go the extra Rs. 3 million and
get a long wheelbase version means there
will be no problem fitting all the groceries
in the back seat. Major M.A.V. Gunarathna
however vehemently denied the vehicle was
for the army chief’s wife and said it was
purchased for the use of senior army
officers.
Besides, thanks to Mercedes’ Airmatic DC
adjustable suspension control, at the touch
of a button the army officers or anyone else
for that matter can ensure that their eggs
do not crack on the way home from shopping
by having the vehicle electronically
compensate for ‘road and driving
conditions,’ — meaning potholes.
Sophisticated entertainment
It gets better. Whilst General Fonseka’s
troops die on the battlefield to the
screeching wails of their valiant comrades,
some army officer or otherwise will be
entertained on the road by a 14 speaker
‘harman/kardon’ Logic-7 stereo speaker
system with an in-dash CD changer, allowing
them a choice of music as they cruise
around.
What would happen however if all this
indulgence at the expense of an almost
starving public were to cause the occupant’s
conscience to kick in, and if he/she were to
break a sweat out of guilt? Never fear,
Mercedes Benz has that eventuality covered
too. The 2006 W221 S350L that he/she travels
in is fitted with active-ventilated seats
equipped with small fans ‘to keep the seats
cool and draw perspiration away from
occupants.’
In a worst case scenario, the occupant of
this super luxury vehicle could always count
on the variable colour fibre optic lighting
system for the dashboard and foot-wells to
provide some sense of soothing ambience. But
it is not only the privileged occupant but
also the driver who gets the pleasure of
handling a 7-speed (or 7G-tronic as Mercedes
puts it) automatic transmission system
equipped with not one but two reverse speed
settings.
Whether customs duty was paid on the
vehicle, we are unable to tell as Customs
officials did not answer their phones
despite repeated attempts. It is not usual
for the military to pay customs duty on
vehicles it imports for its use. Needless to
say Major M.A.V. Gunarathna refused to
answer any further questions about the
vehicle purchase once it clicked to him that
he was speaking to The Sunday Leader.
Mystery
However the price paid for the vehicle
adds mystery to the issue. A Dimo sales
manager told us that their retail price for
an S350L is Rs. 53 million. The army paid
Rs.44 million for their car including Rs.7.3
million in VAT. Dimo’s retail price without
VAT is Rs. 45 million.
Thus if the army paid duty on the
vehicle, which would be irregular, it then
received the super-luxury car at a Rs.9
million discount from Dimo on their retail
price. However if duty has not been paid on
the vehicle then its retail value landed in
Sri Lanka would have been Rs. 36.7 million,
around US$ 330,000.
According to a knowledgeable Mercedes
enthusiast, there is no configuration of the
S350 available no matter what options are
selected, that can exceed US$ 100,000 in
value before Sri Lankan taxes. "That is
unless they have platinum and diamond
fittings throughout the inside," he added
sarcastically.
Draw the line
Someone has to draw the line on the
government’s triple speak about the war. On
one hand our Consumer Affairs Minister,
Bandula Gunawardena keeps spewing out gems
on the rising cost of living and asks the
public to brace for bread at Rs.200 a loaf.
Exhibit B is Central Bank Governor, Ajith
Nirvard Cabraal’s multitude of excuses for
skyrocketing inflation, with insistences of
course, that it has little to do with the
pot loads of money he decided to print last
year to pander to the Chinthana’s
whims.
Finally we have the military pitch. Army
Commander Sarath Fonseka, is due to retire
at the end of this year, and it appears his
estimates on the number of Tigers remaining
are best described by the current rate of
inflation. Despite killing almost a thousand
Tigers a month, the number of Tigers
remaining seems to be inflating by 28%, just
like the cost of living.
General Fonseka while packing off
soldiers to die for their country, has been
given an unprecedentedly high defence budget
this year with the backing of Defence
Secretary Gotabaya Rajapakse, purportedly to
wrap up this war before it becomes too
politically disastrous for the Defence
Secretary’s brother — the President.
