Govt. vows to unearth Rajapaksas’ hidden $ billions
The government says it would find the billions of dollars that the Rajapaksas had allegedly hidden in many foreign countries, no matter how long it took.
Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera addressing a news conference in Colombo last week said he was speaking with responsibility about “the billions of dollars that the Rajapaksas including the birthday boy had stashed away in foreign lands.”
“They know what we are talking about. Catching big time professional crooks who have covered their tracks very well takes time. It’s not as easy as nabbing common pickpockets.
But we are determined to find every dollar regardless of how long it takes because the rightful owners are the people.” The authorities are probing 25 out of 725 serious cases involving not only massive corruption and violation of general and exchange control laws but also murder. In each of them the Rajapaksas are either directly or indirectly involved, the Minister alleged.
“The people are questioning us as to why we have allowed the rogues in the last UPFA regime to go Scot free and what we have been doing for the last eight months. Some even talk as if we have been in power for eight years. We . request the masses to be patient because it takes time when you have to probe intelligent crooks.
“In connection with just one case, investigators have had to to visit many countries including Seychelles, British Virgin Islands , Dubai and Singapore. The Bribery and Corruption Commission has just 29 investigating officers. Just imagine how much manpower and time would be required to inquire into 725 serious cases.
The Police is also involved in the various investigations. But they cannot allocate all their personnel to probe just one family and their cronies “, he observed.
Samaraweera said that countries such as Libya , Egypt and Tunisa had been able to recover only a tiny fraction of the over hundreds of billions of dollars that their former leaders Gaddafi, Hosni Mubarak and Bin Ali are alleged to have swindled even though many years had lapsed since their ouster.
Charges against the Rajapaksas and their cronies included floating front companies and acquiring hotels and companies both in Sri Lanka, with ill-gotten wealth he noted.
” Broadly speaking they had virtually robbed entire banks,” he alleged.
(Source: The Island – by Zacki Jabbar)
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Mr. Mangala I dono how you are personally but obviously you mentioned are very true. As an AoPP i would say sri lankan still believing rajapaksas conspiracy. I still dono why.Anyway it would take some time to understand about them.
Hoorah!
What about postponing the next elections until hidden billions are found?
And until found, what about letting us know where they are missing from?
educating mangala
Gaddafi headed one of the longest-running modern autocracies. Yet, in the annals of evil dictators who perpetrated crimes against humanity and mass murder in the last 100 years, the colonel doesn’t actually rank as one of the deadliest
Enver Pasha Turkey Death toll: 1.1 million to 2.5 million Years in power: 5 (1913-1918)
Worst offense: Armenian genocide Type of regime: Military Cause of death: Killed in battle (according to most accounts)
Kim Il Sung North Korea Death toll: 1.6 million Years in power: 46 (1948-1994) Worst offense: Korean War Type of regime: Communist Cause of death: Heart attack
Ho Chi Minh North Vietnam Death toll: 1.7 million Years in power: 24 (1945-1969) Worst offense: Vietnam War Type of regime: Communist Cause of death: Heart failure
Pol Pot Cambodia Death toll: 1.7 million to 2.4 million Years in power: 4 (1975-1979) Worst offense: Cambodian genocide Type of regime: Communist Cause of death: Unconfirmed
Saddam Hussein Iraq Death toll: 2 million Years in power: 34 (1969-2003) Worst offense: Kurdish genocide Type of regime: Authoritarian Cause of death: Executed
Yahya Khan Pakistan Death toll: 2 million to 12 million Years in power: 2 (1969-1971)
Worst offense: Bangladesh genocide Type of regime: Military Cause of death: Unknown
Tojo Hideki Japan Death toll: 4 million
Years in power: 3 (1941-1944) Worst offense: WWII civilian genocide
Type of regime: Military Cause of death: Executed
Vladimir Lenin USSR Death toll: 4 million Years in power: 7 (1917-1924)
Worst offense: Russian Civil War Type of regime: Communist
Cause of death: Cerebral hemorrhage
Hirohito Japan Death toll: 6 million Years in power: 62 (1926-1989) Worst offense: Nanking Massacre Type of regime: Monarchy Cause of death: Cancer
Chiang Kai-Shek China Death toll: 10 million
Years in power: 18 (1928-1949) Worst offense: 228 Massacre
Type of regime: Military Cause of death: Kidney failure
Adolf Hitler Germany Death toll: 17 million to 20 million Years in power: 11 (1934-1945)
Worst offense: The Holocaust Type of regime: Fascist Cause of death: Suicide
Joseph Stalin USSR Death toll: 40 million to 62 million Years in power: 12 (1941-1953)
Worst offense: Gulag camps Type of regime: Communist Cause of death: Heart attack
Mao Zedong China Death toll: 45 million to 75 million
Years in power: 34 (1943-1976) Worst offense: Great Chinese Famine Type of regime: Communist
Cause of death: Heart attack
Daily Beast unfortunately makes any refrence to the monies these guys embezzled out of the state coffers ….and if any correlation can be drawn it must be collosal. Rajapaksas in contrast must rank to insignificance even if the tsunami deaths are to be tallied.
The lesson that Mangala could learn from all these is that in his internaional gallivanting the globe if and when Mangala is stuck with nothing to talk about politically then he can pitch onto atrocities committed by global autocrats. Who would have thought Chiang Kai Shek strong ally of the US responsible for the death of 10 million. This may sound whimsical but intellectually impressive
Blogger zama A’s yardstick for measuring ‘genocide’ has 1 million at the lowest end.
Sri Lanka’s political and military leadership culminating in the events of May 2009 are under international scrutiny as per the unanimous resolution that was adopted by the UNHCR in its Sept 2016 sessions.
It is up to the GOSL to come up with a mechanism for ground level investigations and prosecution as per UNHCR resolution. As always, the Yahapalanaya leaders are dragging their feet over the matter; however, they should realise that the eyes of the world are looking closely.
If the proposed investigations and prosecutions are not pursued to standards stated in the resolution, the UN will most likely take up the separation issue through a referendum or even, with the use of military action.
What Hon Mangala S is referring to is the billions looted by the ruling family. politicians in SL are paid just a tad more than public servants. I wonder how they acquire vast wealth while in office? How can a young MP without a ministerial portfolio own and manage a vast spots network? How can the same young person own and drive around in a Lamborghini which happens to one of the most expensive cars produced in the world. How can a former Minister’s wife own four houses in California including a palace valued at USD 4.5m? How can a former senior public servant’s wife own two houses in California?
The arithmetic (wealth vs earning) simply does not add up.
And Hon Mangala S is referring to this lopsided equation in political language.
Hi Kududraja,
You and all the people who believe in the bullshit that RW and MY3 made up just to defeat MR because they knew that was the only way to defeat the great MR. Today all you ungrateful people are walking the streets of SL because he defeated those LTTE Barbarians.. It is very strange that we never hear from any one or the UN about the atrocities done by that mad man Prabhakaran when he was bombing buildings killing Innocent human beings and sending child soldiers to the front line during the war.People like you should leave Sri lanka and go away where ever makes you happy.
If all the bullshit you have written was true and you guys have proof then MR and his family should have been behind bars by now. If that is so why have 15 of the 16 corruption investigations have been dropped. Is it because MY3 also shared the proceeds. He was with MR for a long time before he realized MR was a crook. Perhaps he was blind for 81/2 years or he was coward and he is now the president of SL.. Is’nt that a shame.
Go home liars. What public mandate you have to be the Foreign Minister of Sri Lanka to talk and negotiate on behalf of Sri Lankan people?
Didi you see this Mangala? From Onlanka website.
“Vs corruption
Presidential Commission of Inquiry to investigate and inquire into Serious Acts of Fraud, Corruption and Abuse of Power, State Resources and Privileges has dropped investigations into at least 15 cases on the grounds that the state didn’t suffer revenue losses due to those transactions.
Having completed investigations into 16 cases, the Commission had recommended further legal action as regards only one of them, authoritative sources told The Island.
The Commission late last week informed the Attorney General and the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) to initiate action against former UPFA Gampaha District MP Sarath Kumara Gunaratne and four former Ceylon Fisheries Corporation officials over the Negombo lagoon development project implemented during the previous administration.
All complaints received by the Commission dealt with alleged corrupt transactions involving those who had been in power or their associates. The Commission admitted terminating investigations into 15 cases.”
Mangala,
The so called hidden billions seem to be a big mystery/illusion. Either the rogues, the Rajapaksa clan were too clever in how and where they hid the ill gotten loot or you lot are too dumb to look at the right places. My guess is that you lot got your cut and were asked to keep shut but to make bogus pronounces to keep the public guessing. How can the rougues hide so much of money without anyone in the whole country not knowing anything about it? Up to now you had a significant amount of time to look for even a miniscule fraction of the loot but nothing has been found. What are the Yanks doing in helping you in this matter. You are becoming a laughing lot with MR carrying on teasing you as jokers and still politicking as if nothing has happened. If no loot is found pretty soon you lot could be kicked out of power for giving false pre election promisses to the masses who voted for you in droves. Why are you lot still preventing Gota from being taken to task in the courts? Looks like you all are playing the game to gether!