FCID names Namal, five others as suspects over money laundering inquiry on Hello Corp purchasing

By Shehan Chamika Silva

The FCID-on a directive of Attorney General had named Namal Rajapaksa and five others as suspects over the inquiry conducted into the alleged purchasing shares of Hello Corp using ill-gotten funds of Gowers Corporation, which was headed by Mr. Rajapaksa.

The FCID filing a further report informed court that the suspect Namal Rajapaksa had dealt with a company named Boston and had given Rs. 15 million and another Rs.30 million through one Indika Karunajeewa to the Chairman of that company, Mr. Rohan Abey Iriyagolla.

Then according to the statements got from the chairman of the Boston Co., the given money was paid to Gowers and NR Consultants again, which are headed by Namal Rajapaksa, as payments for the services obtained by Boston.

The two transactions were found by the prosecution as offences that fell under the Money Laundering Act.

The other suspects, Indika Prabath Karunajeewa, Pavithra Sujani Bogollagama, Nithya Senani Samaranayake, Sudarsha Bandara Ganegoda and Iresha Silva were named as suspects under sections 102 and 113 of the Penal Code (abetment, conspiracy) and the section 3 of the Money Laundering Act.

Acceding the prosecution request, Additional Magistrate Nishantha Peiris issued an arrest warrant on second suspect Indika Karunajeewa, since the suspect currently resides abroad, absconding the prosecution.

The Magistrate had also observed that the prosecution has the authority to arrest suspects under the Money Laundering Act without further permission from the Court since the offences committed by the suspects fell into the summary offences under the Act.

The FCID also said court that the prosecution would file two cases separately over the alleged two transactions against the suspects.

Earlier, the VAC convenor lodging a complaint with FCID alleged that the suspect Namal Rajapaksa had obtain funds illegally to his two Companies (Gowers Corporation and NR Consultants) by engaging with various state contracts and providing coordinating services to the Air Lanka.

He complained that the suspect had purchased the Hello Corp Company’s shares from the ill-gotten funds he gained during serving as a parliamentarian.

Further inquiry was postponed to September 1.