UL Chairman With Undeclared Millions Under His Pillow
- Nishantha Wickramasinghe – Chairman of SriLankan Airlines
It is typical. Not the 8 million rupee theft. But the cover-up which has followed. Both police and SriLankan Airlines of which Nishantha Wickramasinghe is Chairman have collectively or perhaps it is a national maladay – effectively shut-up.
Closely connected to the first family – brother of First Lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa, a former planter and currently General Manager Estates at Finlays, – Nishantha Wickramasinghe though the victim of a theft – nevertheless, appears to have been caught with an undeclared booty.
How much of the foreign and local currency worth Rs. 4 million, stolen from his residence can Wickramasinghe honestly account for?
We tried valiantly to ask Wickramasinghe himself this question but the man remained phone shy until this newspaper went to print.
Wickramasinghe’s residence from where the heist took place Picture by Thusitha Kumara and Nishantha Wickramasinghe
So, we were compelled to rely on inside sources. Not the thieves. Our ‘sources’ confided that US $ 11,500, Sterling Pounds 10,500 and one million rupees was the amount stolen from Wickramasinghe’s home in Mt. Lavinia . A Rolex Watch valued at an estimated Rs 4. million was also stolen.
From where did Wickramasinghe get such an expensive watch? His tax declarations would indicate whether he could afford to buy one himself. Wickramasinghe is clearly in violation of the Exchange Control laws his own brother-in-law helped promulgate in this country, as a legislator.
Controller, Exchange Control Department of the Central Bank P. H. O. Chandrawansa said that if a person retains foreign currency worth US $ 2000 with him 90 days after returning to Sri Lanka from overseas it is a violation of the Exchange Control Act.
Chandrawansa explained that according to the Exchange Control Act No. 24 of 1953, any person travelling overseas in possession of monies exceeding US$ 15,000 must declare it.
When entering the country any person can bring any amount of money back to Sri Lanka but no one is allowed to keep more than US$ 2000, for more than 90 days after arrival. “In such instances I have the authority to investigate the matter,” Chandrawansa said.
Asked as to what action he could take against those who violate the regulations of Exchange Control Act, Chandrawansa said that it is up to him to decide what the penalty should be.
Our repeated requests to SriLankan Airlines asking if Wickremesinghe is paid a per diem when overseas and if he is required to return any of those monies if unspent on his return, were met with blank denials of “I don’t know”, including from the Chief Executive Officer Kapila Chandrasena who was literally quaking andbegging us “not to involve him” when we asked him for a clarification on the matter.
Even an email query to the corporate communications department remained unanswered as we were fended off with a non committal “the email has been sent to the management for a response”. A management who remained mute, too afraid to pull the rug – from beneath the muddy feet of a Chairman who clearly has much to hide.
In our endeavour to find out how Wickramasinghe could have amassed such wealth to be left loosely lying around his home we asked Kapila Chandrasena and the Board Secretary for SriLankan Airlines Ms. Melgrade Peiris if the Board had recently approved a Rs. 500,000/- monthly reimbursement package together with perks for Nishantha Wickramasinghe.
Both Chandrasena and Ms. Peiris claimed they did not know or “are not entitled to speak on Board matters”.
The multi-million dollar plus sterling pound question is this. Where and how did Wickramasinghe gather R. 4 million worth of foreign and local currency which – he did not trust a bank vault with, but instead his home at De Saram Place, Mt. Lavinia?
The police refused to tell us where in the house the money had been stored.
The Mt. Lavinia police who initiated the investigation and the Police Media Spokesperson SP Ajith Rohana claimed not to know the exact amount stolen from Wickramasinghe’s residence saying, “There were only a few foreign currency notes among the robbed Rs. 4 million.
Wickramasinghe was to go overseas in a few days and those were the monies he planned to take with him,” SP Ajith Rohana said.
However, a senior police officer on condition of anonymity confirmed that the thieves had stolen US$ 11,500 and Sterling Pounds 10,500 from Wickramasinghe’s residence when he and his family were away last week.
“This is completely against the Exchange Control Act. According to this Act no one can retain more than US$ 2000 or any other foreign currency equivalent to that amount. The police department too is surprised as to why no action is being taken against Wickramasinghe who has blatantly violated the Exchange Control Act. Is it because he is the brother of the First Lady?” he asked.
That, is a question we would all dearly like answered.
In Sri Lanka this is what being part of the First Family can do for you. One can violate exchange control laws – play hide and seek – pressure the police into keeping mum – and literally flaunt one’s ill- gotten gains be it by way of currency or shiny gold watches.
For all Mahinda Rajapaksa’s spouting on good governance he is bounden to explain how his brother-in-law (his wife Shiranthi’s brother) was hoarding 4 million rupees worth of foreign and local currency in his house.
This incident in fact only mirrors what this newspaper has been consistently saying – that corruption is at an all time high in this country – the people are being taken for assess – while those walking the corridors of power are stealing from beneath our very noses.
With additional reporting – by Nirmala Kannangara
Police At A Dead End
Police Spokesperson SP Ajith Rohana said that the intruders had entered through a fanlight in a bathroom when the house was empty.
“Up until now no one has been arrested nor have the stolen articles been recovered. However a special police team from the Mt. Lavinia police has been deployed to carry out investigations,” he said.
According to SP Rohana, the Police Finger Print Bureau was able to collect “scientific evidence” including fingerprints of the burglars.
“Although we collected scientific evidence, the police sniffer dogs were not able to trace the intruders. We have questioned the neighbourhood and other suspects in the area but have not yet been able to make a breakthrough,” SP Rohana said.
He declined to give any details of the stolen items but said that goods worth Rs. 8 million have been taken away from Wickramasinghe’s residence.
An empty house with an El darado for thives.Police before looking for culprits,should start investigations as to how a large sum of money been in Nishantha Wicremasinghe’s poccession.
PROBABLY THE MONEY PAID FOR PULLING SRI LANKAN OUT OF ZURICH
Well done thieves. You have exposed at least the tip of the iceberg.
Like Mohan Peiris said. Only God knows where all that Foreign exchange and Rolex Gold and diamond watch came from. Dharmishta society full of crooks. my foot..
Jobs for the boys.Money for the family members.
ali hora and more than forty thieves
This is something very interesting news. Why police worry to trace the thieves
of this robbery, not necessary because all these monies are illegal and black
money which are to be paid as taxes etc. to the government was retained by him
at home to do some other unlawful work. If a poor man robs a small amount for
his survival he is been taken and punished and how about this big man who is
the b-i-l of MR. and here no law is applicable because he is the relative of MR,
what a pathetic situation of law in this country. As far as this government runs
all these buggers rob peoples money in various ways and have a luxury life for
ever. This corrupted government must go or vanish at any cost and all those
ministers must be killed including the big man who is the king pin of corruption
in this country and there will be a day where these corrupted politicians will have
no place to run or hide. Today they are surviving because of the police and the
army who are with them and how long ? they will have to face the people one day.
…certainly gets curiouser and curiouser…
Reporter beware Remember Laasantha
Wow! 4 million Rupees worth of foreign and local currency and a Rolex watch worth another 4 million Rupees. If this is what the brother-in-law of MR has been accumulating just imagine what the brother-in-law of the brother-in-law is hoarding!
maybe he was planning to go to Vegas
another sweep it under the rug case
what happened to Ratwatte and his gold bars
oh mother lanka
The burglars, if they surrender eough foreign cash to convict the bigger culprit, they should be give a lighter sentece because they were instrumental in catching the bigger rogue.
I’m asking this question as seriously as I can
“WHERE THE HELL DO YOU THINK THIS THING HAPPENED?”
It call good governs
wickremesinghe and his wife do not live in this house. the house belongs to mrs wickremesinghe and her family, after the old lady – mrs wickrremesinghe’s mother – passed away the First Lady had the house locked up and had the neighburs look after it by way of putting on a ligjht and so on. clearly the robber/s knew of this arrangement that the lkights were a ploy and that no one was around living there. so perhaps they shud look at the lace where they actually live – perhaps more than a fistful of dollars will be found there. or they may have gotten themselves a bank vault much like asoka thilakaratne did except she has a case against her. obviously sauce for the goose is a different thing for the gander. welcome to a magical land called sri lanka
this government should be called> the government of rajapaksas>.the best government s.l. had upto now. by the way is this wickramasinghe a educated man,to be the boss of s.l.a..
You see Nishantha Wickramasinghe at all travel fairs. He just wastes his time while the others from Sri Lankan Airlines works. He just stands around talking to all the female crew. Go over to the Maldives stall. Flirts around. Maybe he is getting paid in foreign currency to doing nothing.
These guys are just ruining our country. Is there NOT one patriotic person in the government?? All are damn stooges including Kapila and Melgrade.
Hope the thief is a Robin Hood.
Take ill-gotten wealth of Nishantha back to the people.
One Wickramasinghe is Chairman UL. Another Wickramasinghe is Embassidor USA how many more Raja’s Relatives involved with out qulifications. That is the Trend in this Govt. If no qulifications you are qulified to get a Big Post only if you are connected to MR.
These are few things come to light, think about the million other things which are covered up! Corruption rules our country………….
There are countries in the Asian Region which prospered under corrupt leaders.
I’m a well travelled person and here is my comments based on my experience.
The foreign currency amount he was possessing for a foreign tour did not surprise me at all with my experience in business travel for the past 25 years.
For a normal business trip I need at least $ 25,000 minimum for my expenses ( for a trip of 15 days – for a ravel of 3 including my family ). This includes hotel expenses, travel expenses, rent a car with driver, food, business office/ meeting expenses, leisure, shopping + some extra for emergency purpose)
As far as I know he is a person who travels frequently and having $ 11,000 and + pounds 10,500 with him does not surprise me at all. I normally carry at least $ 30,000-40,000 with me most of the time.
I think the authorities could easily verify the purchase of these currencies.
I do not know Nishantha or im not a relative to him at all, but if anyone wants to solve this matter legally, they could go to courts and complain about these currencies and take him under the law than wasting time writing week followed weeks on newspapers which will not get any better results in solving the said problem.
( most newspaper articles such as these has not solved problems in the past but give wider popularity to the newspaper which does not help the country or the people. I am also very curious about the inside sources the writer claims as it seems and looks like the thieves has given the information to the writer. That also has to be verified and the authorities should inquire from these so called insiders as well)
What qualifications (Academic) does this crook have to be on the Board of UL? Clearly he is not too smart even when it comes to under hand issues (i.e. Reporting to the police when illegally gained monies were robbed). We as Lankans must through this entire family out of politics and throw them in Jail!!!
What was stolen is what had been kept at home. Considering the depreciated value of LKR keeping undeclared FC’s is not worth investigating into.
So this is what happens to dollars caught at BIA from smuggles. They goes directly to chairmans pillow. Ha Ha. What a miracle! Same is true about some govt. officials like customs, police and even judges who rob confiscated items of value. But the point here is police deployed SIX police teams and ONE cid team to nab the robber, whereas in Kahawatta it took more than one month to catch politically connected murders. Miracle of Asia!
The burglar was a good one. Instead of stealing hard earned money he opted to rob from a King robber!