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Compensation
scam at Saudi Mission
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By
Frederica Jansz
Sri
Lanka's mission in Saudi Arabia is apparently involved in acts of
bribery and corruption by selling incomplete birth certificates
signed by the Attach‚ M. G. W. Ranaweera and stamped with the
official seal of the consulate general of Sri Lanka.
The
birth certificates are allegedly being sold for a sum of 1000
Saudi Riyals (Rs. 26,000) each, to an agent called 'Mallik' who it
is charged is a close associate of the consul general, A. C. M.
Ibrahim.
Only
the back of the certificate is filled out and stamped while the
first page is handed over as a blank form to be filled out by the
parties it is sold to (see box for copies of certificates). |
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In
addition, it is charged that Sri Lanka's Mission in Saudi Arabia is
collecting death compensation of Sri Lankans who have died under tragic
circumstances while being employed in the Middle Eastern countries, but
that these compensation monies are not handed over to the families in
Sri Lanka.
Since
1983 there had been 90 such deaths of Sri Lankan migrant workers. Out of
this 90 the consul general's office in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia has made
payments only in respect of 23 cases, although the Saudi Arabian courts
have ordered payment of compensation at the rate of 85,000 Saudi Riyals
(Rs. 2.2 million) per person who had died in an accident.
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The
birth certificates that are being sold |
List
of 67 workers who have died in Saudi Arabia |
Not
paid
Payment
by the Lankan Mission for 67 others have to date not been paid to the
families in Sri Lanka. This is despite the fact that Saudi Arabian court
records reveal that the payments at least in 40 of the 67 cases have
been completed (see box for copy of the 67 migrant workers who died
under tragic circumstances in Saudi Arabia).
It
is alleged that documents such as powers of attorney directly addressed
to the consul general, A. C. M. Ibrahim by the families of the deceased
are used by the consulate to collect the compensation monies.
Thereafter, however the funds are not directed to the families. Already
complaints have been made to the Foreign Ministry regarding these
financial irregularities at the consul generals' office in Jeddah.
Following
a petition filed in the Supreme Court in May this year stating the above
corruption, the court has directed the Secretary, Ministry of Foreign
Affairs to submit a report as to the corrupt practices and
irregularities referred to in the petition.
Minister
of Foreign Affairs, Tyronne Fernando, when questioned on this issue said
he was unaware of the specific charges or the documentary evidence
available but would "look into it and take remedial action."
Aware
of charges
Fernando
asserted that he was aware of charges of financial irregularities being
levelled against the consul general in Jeddah but is awaiting the
results of an ongoing investigation before taking a final decision.
Meanwhile
in a separate case, Mohamed Nizvi Mohamed Uvasis, a Sri Lankan national
employed as a storekeeper at Al-Qussie International Bisha Airport has
in a letter to the consul general drawn his attention to a payment of
Saudi Riyals 230 made by him to the receptionist at the Mission, Mohamed
Munaf.
Nizvi
states that he has made this payment to Munaf for translation and
registration fees of his son's birth certificate as well as his marriage
certificate for the purpose of securing a new passport for his son.
Nizvi
however has only been given a receipt by the mission for Saudi Riyals
130. It is not clear for what purpose the balance 100 Saudi Riyals had
been utilised.
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