Presidential Advisor Chris Nonis Mum Over His Rupees One Billion Heist
July 5, 2016
Advisor to President Maithripala Sirisena, Chris Nonis continued to remain mum amidst allegations that he had pilfered Rs. 1.1 billion in a scam.
Chris and Shelendra
Employees of the Agalawatte Plantations PLC of the Mackwoods Group have accused Nonis, who was the former Sri Lankan High Commissioner to UK and his lawyer sister Shelendra Nonis Ranaweera for pilfering Rs 1.1 billion rupees from Agalawatte Plantations PLC to United Kingdom.
Even though the Colombo Telegraph sent Dr. Nonis an email containing several queries two days back on the allegation, he is yet to respond to the questions.
According to the employees, Nonis, and his sister is alleged to have hoodwinked not only the poor estate workers, who presently have Rs. 400 million owed to them on statutory (EPF/ETF) and other dues, but also the shareholders and the Directors of the Mackwoods Group, by siphoning through Nonis’s privately-owned company APL Teas (Pvt) Ltd, unknown to Mackwoods shareholders.
APL Teas (Pvt) Ltd, is jointly owned by the brother and sister duo, who have equal shares of the company. Until last month when litigation commenced, employees and shareholders were made to believe APL Teas (Pvt) Ltd is a fully owned subsidiary of Agalawatte Plantations PLC.
Several senior employees, who wished to remain anonymous, revealed that from 2005 to 2015, APL Teas Pvt. Ltd. has siphoned out Rs. 1.134 Billion in the disguise of providing marketing and promotional services to Agalawatte Plantation PLC, but the revenue of the company has never improved with such services. All those fictitious expenditures are set off against the monies due to Agalawatte Plantation PLC.
With no mention of the true owners (shareholders) of APL Teas (Pvt) Ltd in the annual reports of Agalawatte Plantations PLC, doctor-lawyer duo has robbed Rs. 1.134 Billion and most of those monies have been transferred to the UK, under the guise of ‘international marketing, branding and promotional expenses’, allege employees.
Being UK citizens Dr. Chris and his sister Shelendra have formed several companies in UK that owns multi-million Sterling Pound assets purchased from siphoned-out money, it is reliably learnt.
