Former Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa arriving at the FCID yesterday. Picture by Rukmal Gamage
Vijayani Edirisinghe-Tuesday, June 26, 2018
Former Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa visited the FCID yesterday and gave a statement following an order issued by the Court of Appeal regarding a complaint made against seven people including him for the alleged misappropriation of several millions rupees of funds belonging to the Land Reclamation and Development Corporation for erecting a mausoleum and a museum in memory of his late parents.
The recording of Gotabhaya Rajapaksa’s statement lasted for about two hours. The FCID has already recorded statements from the other six persons from time to time.
The Land Reclamation and Development Corporation also functioned under the Defence Ministry.
The FCID had received a complaint alleging that millions of rupees belonging to the Land Reclamation and Development Corporation had been spent on refurbishing the tombs of Gotabhaya Rajapaksa’s late parents D.A. Rajapaksa and Mrs. Rajapaksa at Medamulana and for building a mausoleum with an appropriate surrounding and a museum despite the Corporation functioning on borrowings.
The FCID after conducting investigations into the complaint inspected the said mausoleum and relevant files at the Land Reclamation and Development Corporation after questioning and recording statements from relevant officials there.
Thereafter, the FCID also recorded a statement from Gotabhaya Rajapaksa too and submitted a report to the Attorney General for taking legal action under the Public Property Act against seven persons including Gotabhaya Rajapaksa for alleged misappropriation of millions of rupees belonging to the Land Reclamation and Development Corporation.
Meanwhile, Gotabhaya Rajapaksa submitted a Writ Petition Number 391-2017 in the Appeal Court seeking an order preventing his arrest saying the charges made against him did not come under the purview of the Public Property Act. After calling the petition several times and the Attorney General making his observations, the Petition was taken up for hearing on June 14.
Court ordered that a statement be made before the FCID on 25-6-2018 about the manner in which the two parties acted.
Accordingly, Gotabhaya Rajapaksa visited the FCID and made a statement yesterday.
The recording of Gotabhaya Rajapaksa’s statement lasted for about two hours. The FCID has already recorded statements from the other six persons from time to time.
The Land Reclamation and Development Corporation also functioned under the Defence Ministry.
The FCID had received a complaint alleging that millions of rupees belonging to the Land Reclamation and Development Corporation had been spent on refurbishing the tombs of Gotabhaya Rajapaksa’s late parents D.A. Rajapaksa and Mrs. Rajapaksa at Medamulana and for building a mausoleum with an appropriate surrounding and a museum despite the Corporation functioning on borrowings.
The FCID after conducting investigations into the complaint inspected the said mausoleum and relevant files at the Land Reclamation and Development Corporation after questioning and recording statements from relevant officials there.
Thereafter, the FCID also recorded a statement from Gotabhaya Rajapaksa too and submitted a report to the Attorney General for taking legal action under the Public Property Act against seven persons including Gotabhaya Rajapaksa for alleged misappropriation of millions of rupees belonging to the Land Reclamation and Development Corporation.
Meanwhile, Gotabhaya Rajapaksa submitted a Writ Petition Number 391-2017 in the Appeal Court seeking an order preventing his arrest saying the charges made against him did not come under the purview of the Public Property Act. After calling the petition several times and the Attorney General making his observations, the Petition was taken up for hearing on June 14.
Court ordered that a statement be made before the FCID on 25-6-2018 about the manner in which the two parties acted.
Accordingly, Gotabhaya Rajapaksa visited the FCID and made a statement yesterday.
