Who is preventing the arrest of former SriLankan directors, chairman and CEO?
Oct 11, 2016
The cancellation of the huge Airbus order after months and months of vacillation will now costs millions to the tax payers. Not to the President or Prime Minister , the tax payer. This is why the government needs to pass on more and more taxes on to the people.
Had the new government taken timely decisions the loss would have been significantly much less. The new government instead of hiring good people to run the airline gave the top jobs in the airline to friends and racketeers of the Royal College network .
The Chairman Ajith Dias runs coffee shops in Colombo, the CEO is Charitha Ratwatte's brother. An airline pilot, nothing more. What can you expect by way of strategies from the duo to turnaround the bankrupt Srilankan airline? None. It was reported that the elder Ratwatte personally got involved to get his brother confirmed as CEO , when the board wanted his probation extended.
The country’s national carrier, that once offered a “taste of paradise” to srilankans, is now on life support with Treasury handouts. The enormity of its mismanaged financial debacles was known 12 months ago . But so far nothing has been done by the government to prosecute the womanizing former Chairman, the CEO Kapila, or Directors like JKH Chief Susantha, had chaired the audit committee under the Chairman, Watawala Plantations Chairman Sunil Wijesinghe, President's Council Jayamane, Mounntlavania Hotel Chairman Ukwatte, a person who benefited from the Rajapakse era.
The Board of Directors allowed the Chairman to push through deals worth billions without having any proper evaluation or tender procedure.
The Board of Directors have a responsibility and fiduciary duty to look after the interests of the Airline and to ensure that no misappropriation, corruption or bribery is taking place.
The former Srilankan Board was responsible for approving all the proposals put forward by the former Chairman. The former Board of Directors therefore are as guilty for aiding and abetting in approving the airbus contracts by bypassing established Company tender procedures as much as the Chairman and the CEO.
The reason why they are not being prosecuted is simple . The Chairman is in business with the former CEOs BIL. The current CEO is related to a former director, the rest is all to do with business connections.
Private Sector directors of a government board was arrested few weeks ago and remanded by the FCID for approving an advertising budget. That was not even an ounce of what has gone on on at Sri Lankan Airlines.
Clearly, like former President Rajapaksa resorted to recruitment of his relatives and friends and also hired incompetent private sector rogues to state entities, this government is no better. Srilankan under the current Board will continue to cost this country billions not of rupees, but of dollars!
Civil Society needs to rise up and demand action form the President and the Prime Minister. If not they have only themselves to blame.
