CID to probe Rs. 39 m fraud at Deyata Kirula

By Lakmal Sooriyagoda

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) had begun an investigation against the Chief Executive Officer at the secretarial office of the Deyata Kirula National Exhibition 2013 for allegedly cheating and misappropriating an amount of Rs. 39 million, contravening proper tender procedure.

Secretary to the Ministry of Telecommunication and Information Technology H.M. Gunasekara had lodged a complaint with the CID regarding this alleged misappropriation valued at Rs. 39 million on 21 February 2013.

In his complaint to the CID, he had informed that Kanthi Gunawardana, the Additional Secretary to the Ministry of Telecommunication and Information Technology, was appointed as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO of the Deyata Kirula exhibition 2013. The complainant said subsequently Gunawardana was interdicted from the post of CEO of Deyata Kirula 2013 over committing frauds while implementing several projects at the Deyata Kirula site in Ampara.  

The Secretary to the Ministry of Telecommunication and Information Technology had further alleged that the CEO of the Deyata Kirula Exhibition had acted contrary to the procedure of the Procurement and Technical Evaluation Committee and thereby cheated Rs. 39 million while constructing 230 temporary toilets, a reading room and a canteen at the Deyata Kirula exhibition site.

The complainant alleged that the contract relating to the construction of temporary toilets had been given to a private company without the approval of the Procurement and Technical Evaluation Committee by the CEO of the Deyata Kirula exhibition and an additional payment of Rs. 1.7 million had been made to the contractor.

He further alleged that the suspect had made another additional payment amounting to Rs. 12 million for the construction of a reading room at the Deyata Kirula exhibition premises. He further alleged that she had approved of another additional payment of Rs. 11 million for a contractor to construct a canteen and also made an additional payment of Rs. 255,000 for flower decorations at the site.

Filing the fact report before Colombo Fort Magistrate Gihan Pilapitiya, CID sergeant Wijesuriya moved Court that the suspect be prevented from leaving the country since the CID wanted to record a statement. Accordingly, the Magistrate issued an order on the Controller of the Immigration and Emigration to prevent the suspect leaving the country.

The CID alleged that the suspect had committed punishable offence comes under Section 386, 389 and 400 of the Penal Code. The CID is conducting investigations into the incident.