$14 mn MIG aircrafts deal: FCID seeks Intl. warrant on Udayanga Weeratunga

By Shehan Chamika Silva

The FCID, for the second time, today requested court to issue an arrest warrant through Interpol on one-time Sri Lankan ambassador to Russia, Udayanga Weeratunga over the inquiry conducted into the huge financial loss caused to the Government in the purchase of Ukraine-built MIG-27 aircrafts in 2006.

In a report submitted to the court, the Foreign Ministry had informed that according to the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry; Mr. Weeratunga was not currently residing at the given address in Ukrain therefore the summons were not handed over to him.

On the earlier occasion, refusing the FCID's request to issue an international warrant on Mr. Weeratunga, the Fort Magistrate noticed him to appear in court over the inquiry and ordered to send the summons through Foreign Ministry to the address in which he lives in Ukraine.

Filing a further report in court, FCID Chief Inspector Francis Nihal told court that Mr. Weerathunga had been deliberately absconding the court avoiding him being interrogated into the alleged aircraft deal.

He said former ambassador had not returned his diplomatic passport to the Foreign Ministry yet and traveling illegally one country to another using forged passports.

He further said, According to reports; Mr. Weeratunga was recently seen in a photograph taken with former president Mahinda Rajapaksa and it was evident that he was deliberately absconding the prosecution disregarding the court orders.

The prosecution further said that the broad investigation into misplacing the original contract document of the alleged deal was being continued by the FCID as few statements had been recorded from the Air Force officials.

The prosecution said it was reported that the alleged contract was signed with the presence of Mr. Udayanga Weeratunga at his official house.

In the original contract, the supplier company, 'Belimisa Holdings', was cited as a company located in Britain, but according to the Singapore Financial Intelligence; it was a Singaporean company, said FCID.

Even though, Mr. Weerathunga was not named as a suspect to the case yet, he was the one who knows all about so-called contract, thereby need to be interrogated over the inquiry, said the Prosecution.

The FCID requested court to issue warrant on Mr. Weeratunge under section 63 (1), ‘Issue of warrant in lieu of or in addition to summons’, of the Criminal Procedure Code.

Considering the prosecution request the Colombo Fort Magistrate Lanka Jayaratne fixed September 30 to decide on issuing international warrant on Udayanga Weerathunga.

Earlier, the FCID summoned Mr. Weeratunga to record statements over the inquiry but he was not in the country and later the prosecution was informed by the Mr. Weeratunga's relatives that he resides in Ukraine.