Wimal Weerawansa is worst-corrupt – Harry Jayawardena
Aug 11, 2016
“Wimal Weerawansa is a bankrupt politician. He does not have brains, but has a big mouth. The media-persons around him are just like him, a corrupt lot. That is why they are publishing such falsehoods through their media,” leading Sri Lankan businessman Harry Jayawardena told Lanka News Web. He was responding to a report relating to him published by a website said to belong to Weerawansa.
That report says Harry has cheated out the state not by billions of rupees, but trillions of rupees since the time he bought the State Distilleries Corporation in 1990. Harry also said, “President Premadasa did not give it to me on a platter. I bought it through the stock market. From then on, I have been paying the due taxes to the last cent. I am the highest tax paying businessman in Sri Lanka. Our vats are being inspected daily by the Customs and the Excise Department. They have never accused us of fraud. I work very carefully as there are many who try to grab this business.”
“Weerawansa, who accuses me so, is a worst corrupt. His wife has two passports. His wife has told the CID that he had got one made for her. Weerawansa has two identity cards. When he was caught at the airport, a top person in the government got him rescued. Or else, he would still be inside. When the attorney general’s department files action against him in a day or two, the entire country will come to know his character.”
The related Lankacnews report is given below:
Customs officials have been able to expose an ethanol racket that has been carried out by Distilleries Company owner Harry Jayawardena for several years.
According to the officials, this fraud had been going on for more than 20 years in a very cunning manner. Normally, ethanol is imported in 25,000 litre tankers. But, Customs officials have been wondering about the invoices’ mentioning the amounts as 20,000 litres or 22,000 litres all the time. At the time of the raid, the 10 tankers that were imported for this week had 25,000 litres each. When invoicing, at least 2,000 litres were mentioned less for all the tankers, say Customs sources.
Government minister ****** is exerting pressure over this incident and has instructed Customs officials to release the ethanol after charging Rs. 250 million. Harry has already paid the money and is trying to hide the incident from the media, reports say.
The Customs intends obtaining assistance of the Moratuwa University for further investigations, but is under pressure by the government, according to reports.
Customs officials are sad that billions of losses to the state are being covered up by a Rs. 250 million payment. They say the Customs Act to be introduced soon will aid such wrongdoing.
They believe this racket had been going on since the time Harry was given the Distilleries Corporation for Rs. 4,000 million during the Premadasa regime.
Reports say top government persons are trying to cover up the incident. Further investigations are underway at the vats at the Distilleries Company at Seeduwa.
