Corrupt Rear Admiral protected by Shirathi back to old games

 Aug 17, 2015

Former head of the Navy’s engineering electorate Rear Admiral Mahesh Gunasekara (Gunasekara Nanayakkara Wijeratne Wickramasinghe Gunasekara Wasala Mudalilage Gamini Mahesh) is back to his old corrupt habits after being rescued by former first lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa although it had been proven with evidence that he had committed a fraud amounting millions of rupees, reports say.

An internal inquiry found that he had defrauded money in the purchase of military-ware and engineering equipment to the Navy in the past, and it had been recommended that he be prosecuted in the military court.

The Navy commander had warned him to resign and vacate his position, or else he would face being decommissioned and imprisoned for not less than seven years.

Gunasekara had said that he would resign only if he was allowed to do so as a Rear Admiral. The commander said that would not be allowed.

He had been in that rank for 2 ½ years on a temporary basis, and it is a serious matter that he had acted irresponsibly without working to get permanency in the rank, he was also told. He would be allowed to resign only as a commodore.

Refusing it, Gunasekara has sought help from his closest relative, former minister Keheliya Rambukwella, who has gone to the ex-first lady on his behalf. Accordingly, she had ordered the then defence secretary to ‘be reasonable’ to Gunasekara.

Then, the internal disciplinary committee appointed by the Navy commander was dissolved and the defence secretary appointed a committee of inquiry comprising several members of the military. That committee has acquitted Gunaseraka of the charges.

In that manner, he had retired as a patriotic Navy officer, and now he is holding a top position at a tyre manufacturing factory at Ekala and is back to his old games. In the factory’s tender matters, he misleads officials and commits financial frauds. Although contractors and suppliers have lodged complaints against him, the factory authorities have surprisingly failed to act against him.

The main reason for that is he appears as a saint due to the unusual interest shown in him by the Mahinda Rajapaksa family in the past and the misplacement of the files and other documents against him.