Handover of probe to Ravi Vaidyalankara, a case of ‘setting a thief to catch a thief’!
28 January 2015
It is a case of ‘setting a thief to catch a thief’ that senior DIG Ravi Vaidyalankara – removed from the CID due to proof of his involvement in seeking sexual bribes and in corruption despite being a good investigator of crime - has been appointed to probe incidents of fraud and corruption that are said to have taken place during the previous regime, say police department sources.
The IGP had to disband the CID’s special unit set up to inquire into Undial illegal financial transactions after it transpired that the unit had obtained nearly Rs. 540 million of bribes from the racketeers.
The wedding of his son at Cinnamon Grand Hotel alone cost nearly Rs. 10 m, a sum which a DIG can ill afford, according to the police department.
Vaidyalankara has been accused of using policewomen under him for sexual favours, including an inquiry into his having had sex with a female inspector at his office when he was the DIG in charge of eastern province.
About a fortnight ago, he had gone to ‘Summer Hill’ lodge at Mt. Lavinia with several woman constables, where he got involved in trouble with its workers. After the workers complained to 119 police emergency, a sergeant had gone there to investigate, but was intimidated by the DIG, which is presently being investigated.
Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu & CPA Slip White-Collar Crime Under ‘Executive-Summary’ Carpet
January 28, 2015
Painstaking efforts by the all-powerful Executive Director of the Center for Policy Alternatives (CPA) Dr.Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu have failed to cover up the organization’s white collar crimes, Colombo Telegraph can reveal today.
Dr. Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu
On October 10, 2014, Colombo Telegraph exposed corruption related to CPA – billing for un-held workshops, double billing scandals; i.e getting grants from two donors to do the same task and duplicating receipts, hotel bills and other bills to submit to donors (perhaps even submitting same bills to multiple donors), and hoodwinking donors by filing expenses under safe cost columns.
The particular Exposé was related to cheating two donors; the European Union (EU) and the United Nations’ Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
Colombo Telegraph had continuously raised the issue with the CPA related to serious allegations – non compliances with standard procedures, fraudulent transactions and unethical practices committed – since 8th of June, 2014, giving the organization every opportunity to clarify and clear its name if indeed it had done no wrong. Unfortunately the CPA indulged in time-wasting tactics totally at odds with the organization’s rhetoric on transparency and accountability. The CPA never offered a comprehensive response.
Instead of responding to us, on December 13, 2014 the CPA denied any wrongdoing, supporting the claim by publishing an Executive Summary of a ‘forensic’ report by a company called Corporate Doctors (Pvt) Ltd,
