April 5, 2012
“A confidential source within the FIU told us the government was apparently using the FIU to harass and intimidate Alles. The former head of the FIU had declined to sign the order freezing Alles’ accounts, saying there was no legal basis for doing so. He relented, under intense pressure from Central Bank Governor Nivard Cabraal, and signed the orders just days before his own resignation.” the US Embassy informed Washington.
By Colombo Telegraph –
“A confidential source within the FIU told us the government was apparently using the FIU to harass and intimidate Alles. The former head of the FIU had declined to sign the order freezing Alles’ accounts, saying there was no legal basis for doing so. He relented, under intense pressure from Central Bank Governor Nivard Cabraal, and signed the orders just days before his own resignation.” the US Embassy informed Washington.
- No authority to order the accounts frozen
The Colombo Telegraph found the related leaked “SECRET” cable from the WikiLeaks database which details the secret agreement with the Tamil Tigers to suppress Tamil votes in the 2005 Presidential election. The cable was written on June 14, 2007 by the US Ambassador to Colombo, Robert O. Blake.
Ambassador Blake wrote “Tiran Alles’ attorney has, in the meantime, racked up some initial victories in his fight for vindication of his client. A three-judge panel of the Supreme Court ruled that the Defense Ministry had no legal authority to order suspension of the license of one of Alles’ several companies to market mobile phone service in Sri Lanka’s northeast. (Note: it was in the course of these legal transactions that Alles originally met Emil Kanthan.) A separate Supreme Court panel also allowed another case filed on behalf of Alles to proceed. This suit would lift the freeze on accounts that the Central Banks’ Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) had imposed at the direction of the Defense Ministry. The judges noted that no provision of the Emergency Regulations gave the Defense Secretary authority to order the accounts frozen.”
Related news to this cable;
Below we give the relevant part of the confidential cable;
