WikiLeaks: KP Revealed $1 Billion, US Is Fully Committed To Providing Assistance In Tracking Down LTTE Assets
By Colombo Telegraph -November 26, 2012
“Since the early August arrest of LTTE leader and financer Kumaran Pathmanathan (KP), the Sri Lankan military has interrogated KP about the LTTE’s financing network and overseas assets.Secretary of Defense Rajapaksa (the President’s brother) publically claimed that KP’s interrogation has revealed $1 billion in overseas assets and he called for foreign assistance to recover these monies. The Sri Lankan Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) would be in charge of requesting assistance from foreign FIUs to uncover the terrorist financing network and recover overseas assets. However, the Sri Lankan FIU has not received any information yet from KP’s military interrogations, so they do not have any outstanding requests for USG assistance.” the US Embassy Colombo informed Washington.
KP
A Leaked “CONFIDENTIAL” US diplomatic cable, dated August 26, 2009, updated the Secretary of State regarding the LTTE’s financing network and overseas assets. The Colombo Telegraph found the related leaked cable from the WikiLeaks database. The cable was classified and signed by the US Embassy official Rebecca Cohn.
Rebecca Cohn wrote “Econ Cons met with FIU Deputy Director D.K. Wijesuriya and FIU Senior Assistant Director Sisira Ranasinghe (the new FIU director was out of the country), and they both assured him that the FIU is very satisfied with its cooperation with the United States, but they had no additional requests at this time. According to Wijesuriya, KP is being held under a military detention order and he is still being interrogated by the military intelligence officers. At some point KP will be transferred to the police (Wijesuriya did not know when) which is the point at which the FIU would receive KP’s information on the LTTE financing network and overseas assets. The FIU then may request assistance from their counterpart FIUs in other countries. Econ Cons reiterated that the USG would be pleased to provide assistance to track LTTE funds. Wijesuriya reported a strong working relationship with his U.S. Embassy coounterparts.”
“The delay in turning over KP’s information about the LTTE financing network is disappointing, since this information is time sensitive and the LTTE funds may have been moved subsequent to his arrest. The Sri Lankan FIU knows that the USG is fully committed to providing assistance in tracking down LTTE assets, and post will be proactive when called upon.” placing a comment Cohn further wrote.
Read the cable below for further details;
Related cables;
