SPOTLIGHT

Now - "Godage's"  visa to UK surfaces

Chairman, Sri Lanka Telecom and President, Sri Lanka Cricket, Thilanga Sumathipala

Dhammika Amarasinghe

Mohan de Silva

By Frederica Jansz  Another major breakthrough was made last week in the case against Thilanga Sumathipala when the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) received confirmation from the British High Commission (BHC) that a visa to travel to the UK was indeed granted by the BHC to one Buddhika Priyashatha Godage in May 1999. The visa, bearing number 004816 was issued with effect from May 1, 1999 to Godage bearing passport number M1604462.  The  CID has unearthed  that the visa issued to the applicant Buddhika Priyashantha Godage had stated under the category of employment that he was "unemployed." Documents to this effect will be produced in court on January 8, the date Sumathipala  has been noticed to appear.

Copy of the forged passport Dhammika Amarasinghe used to travel to UK

The CID already has evidence which proves the underworld killer Dhammika Amarasinghe gave his address using the name of Buddhika Godage as residing at 431/1, Pitakotte, Kotte in 1997 to secure a forged passport. Under the category of profession in the passport application too he stated that he is "unemployed." 

It is to this same passport holder that American Express Bank has also confirmed to the CID that travellers cheques to the tune of Sterling Pounds 1,500 was issued in May 1999 and cashed that same month in the UK. American Express Bank has proof that the travellers cheques were cashed in the UK by an individual who signed the receipt as B. Godage. 

When applying for and resorting to using a forged passport, Dhammika Amarasinghe however had to use his own passport size photograph for this purpose, though all other details indicated him to be Buddhika Godage. His signature on the passport application forms is in his own handwriting. He signed the application forms as B. Godage as he did when encashing the travellers cheques.

The real Buddhika Godage has already made a statement to the CID confirming  he neither applied for a passport nor travelled overseas.

American Express Bank was first approached by SSP Samaratunge of the CID who supervised the investigation into the immigration offence. The CID team probing the criminal misappropriation aspect is now being spearheaded by a veteran career officer who has succeeded in unearthing more damning evidence.  

An official from the Hatton National Bank has in a statement to the CID confirmed that travellers cheques bearing numbers 857,523,339 to 857,523,353 were issued to one Buddhika Priyashantha Godage in 1999.  The official has stated funds for the travellers cheques were debited from the Sterling Pound account of the Cricket Board at HNB.

The CID is to request the micro film from  American Express Bank detailing the release of these TCs to Godage.

In a fresh 'B' report filed in the Colombo Magistrate's Court last Thursday, January 1,  the CID has listed the new evidence gathered in the case against the Chairman, Sri Lanka Telecom and President, Sri Lanka Cricket, Thilanga Sumathipala.  

Documentary evidence

The 'B' report details the evidence, reiterating the fact that the CID already has documentary evidence which proves that Buddhika Priyashantha Godage is none other that the dreaded underworld killer Dhammika Amarasinghe.

In a new twist to this dramatic case the CID secured permission from court last Thursday to summon Jeevaka Edirisinghe, Director of Swarnavahini to court to produce a series of television tapes carrying footage of cricket matches filmed in 1999. The sleuths believe there is a clip filmed by Swarnavahini of Sumathipala seated with Dhammika Amarasinghe next to him watching a cricket match. This  is based on evidence received.  Swarnavahini which has family connections to Sumathipala has s already been approached by the CID to provide this clip to the cops but have so far failed to oblige which has resulted in the police requesting and securing a court order to summon Edirisinghe to court with the relevant footage.

The CID report further states that according to a statement made by another official at the Cricket Board, Honorary Secretary  Mohan de Silva had three months ago removed a file from the accounts department at the Cricket Board. It is learnt de Silva had removed the file soon after The Sunday Leader published its first article detailing evidence referred to in the G. Jinadasa committee of inquiry report. This report states the committee had seen a voucher bearing no. 55, which showed that an amount of Sterling Pounds 1500 had been issued to an unidentified individual bearing the name Buddhika Godage under the then president, namely, Thilanga Sumathipala.

On the strength of this statement, the CID last week secured a court order to search the premises of the Cricket Board to find further documentary evidence in this regard. The court also granted permission to the cops to search all relevant records at the Sports Ministry for additional documentary proof as it is believed the relevant voucher maybe duplicated in a Sports Ministry file.

The CID secured a court order to remove from the Cricket Board vouchers, cheques and other documentation for the year 1999-2001. The court order was secured as the cops are afraid the documents may go missing.

Cannot recall

Mohan de Silva meantime has in his statement to the CID maintained that he cannot recall any individual attached to the Cricket Board bearing the name Buddhika Priyashantha Godage. When questioned on why then he personally attested the board minutes of March 2001 which wrote off Sterling Pounds 1,500 given to one B. Godage in 1999, De Silva has claimed he cannot recall this name or under what circumstances the entire executive committee wrote off the cash.  

Mohan de Silva has however told the CID that if indeed the monies were released from funds belonging to the Cricket Board to an unauthorised individual on the instructions of Thilanga Sumathipala, Lucien Merinnage and Subash Pathmaperuma, then all three individuals must be held responsible for having committed an illegal act.

De Silva however will not be so easily let off the hook. Given the statement made by another official at the Cricket Board alleging that de Silva deliberately removed the relevant file carrying the damning voucher which was later replaced in the name of one Saliya Ahangama, Mohan de Silva is to be further questioned.

Conveniently, Ahangama, the former secretary of the board had left Sri Lanka for Australia two years ago.

Sumathipala is being charged under the Penal Code as well as under the Immigration and Emigration Act for having consciously granted a forged passport holder monies from the Cricket Board to travel to the UK in 1999 in order to watch World Cup Cricket.

Former Chief Executive Officer, Anura Tennakoon has also in his statement to the CID maintained that he has never heard of any individual by the name of Buddhika Priyashantha Godage attached to the Cricket Board. He too has stated that if Cricket Board funds amounting to Sterling Pounds 1,500 was granted to such an individual, it is an illegal act. Tennakoon has said he cannot remember these monies being written off at an emergency meeting of the executive committee in March 2001. Tennakoon maintains that he can only recall the exco having written off Sterling Pounds 1,500 which had been given to the late Marian Cooray. The latter was the former curator of the Moratuwa Stadium who died from cancer in June 1999 soon after returning early from the Cricket World Cup matches in the UK that year.

Falsehood

Subash Pathmaperuma, former accountant at the Cricket Board who was also responsible for having authorised the release of the Sterling Pounds 1,500 to Godage, has told police he released the monies on the request of Marian Cooray for the latter to use during his stay in the UK. This statement by Pathmaperuma has now been proved to be a total falsehood as the Cricket Board minutes of March 2001 clearly state Sterling Pounds 1,500 was written off for the late Marian Cooray as well as another Sterling Pounds 1500 was written off for a "Mr. Godage."

Marian Cooray is not in the land of the living and dead men tell no tales.

The CID last week was granted permission by the courts to resummon Pathmaperuma and confront him with the fresh evidence and his previous statement to the police.

The court last Thursday also granted permission to the cops to record another statement from Mahinda Godage alias Bada Mahinda.  Bada Mahinda's controversial statements to police and a confession before the Gangodawila magistrate spearheaded this entire investigation.

Bada Mahinda has positively identified to police the birth certificate of his brother Buddhika Priyashantha Godage, as well as his brother's national identity card, which Mahinda says Dhammika used in 1997 to obtain a passport. In December 1997, Dhammika Amarasinghe applied for a passport from the Immigration and Emigration Department on December 28, 1997, by presenting an ID card, bearing no. 732161295V in the name of Buddhika Priyashantha Godage. Dhammika also gave a copy of Godage's birth certificate claiming it to be his own.

Meanwhile, the 'B' report filed by the CID in court last Thursday, further details evidence that Thilanga Sumathipala misappropriated more than just Sterling Pounds 1,500 from the Cricket Board.  

The CID has  unearthed another aspect to the entire investigation where there is evidence  that Sumathipala in his capacity as president of the  Cricket Board in 2001 has misappropriated a sum of Rs. 3, 198, 061.   

The monies were paid to him by the Cricket Board for "legal fees" paid by Sumathipala out of his personal funds. 

The legal fees were incurred for the case No. 5305/99/SPL filed by Clifford Ratwatte vs. Thilanga Sumathipala. Other fees incurred were for the cases Rienzie Wijetillake and others vs. Thilanga Sumathipala and for the case Anura Weerasinghe and four others vs. S. B. Dissanayake.

Misused funds

Despite the then financial director, Damayanthi Rajapakse having written to M/s Paul Ratnayake Associates asking them to forward to the Cricket Board dates of payments and cheque numbers made by Sumathipala to the law firm, there is no evidence to show any response in this regard from Paul Ratnayake Associates.

But there is an endorsement by Nimal Perera, then assistant treasurer to the BCCSL, ordering Rajapakse to pay the said sum of monies to Sumathipala. The payment was made by cheque to Sumathipala bearing number 836992 for the sum of Rs. 3,198,061.50.

This payment to Sumathipala was made by the Cricket Board without any letter from M/s Paul Ratnayake Associates acknowledging the fact that these monies had indeed been paid by Sumathipala out of his personal funds for the above cases.  

A probe committee  appointed by President Chandrika Kumaratunga and chaired by Hemantha Warnakulasuriya, attorney-at-law, states in its report of June 15, 2001, that the committee is of the view that the constitution of the BCCSL does not sanction and authorise such expenses to be paid by the board in respect of litigation initiated in Sumathipala's private capacity.

The CID has now begun an investigation into these corruption charges and presented to court last Thursday the available evidence in this respect. Three persons are believed to have played an important role in withdrawing these monies from the Cricket Board. They are Honorary Treasurer Trevor Rajaratnam who had insisted the multi million rupee cheque be made out to Sumathipala, Nimal Perera assistant treasurer who made two written endorsements and ordered the Cricket Board finance director to release the funds to Sumathipala, and, Thilanga Sumathipala himself, who was the beneficiary.

The CID is also probing a charge against Sumathipala alleging that he paid out of Cricket Board monies Rs. 25 million to a relative to lay grass at the Dambulla Stadium but that the monies were wasted as the job was not done by this individual.

Meanwhile, Sumathipala was moving heaven and earth last week trying to secure anticipatory bail before he is required to present himself to the Colombo Magistrate's Court on Thursday, January 8.

Despite having been snubbed by President Chandrika Kumaratunga recently, Sumathipala was also seeking the assistance of People's Alliance lawyers in a bid to secure his freedom. (See box for details).

Sumathipala's track record of corruption and deceit is not confined merely to the Cricket Board. As the CID investigation gathered momentum, officials at Sri Lanka Telecom also began to come forward to give evidence against acts of impropriety  carried out by Sumathipala at SLT. (See box for details).