650 million USD in Mashreque Bank, Dubai belonging to one of the Rajapaksa looters have been frozen yesterday (11th) pending the completion of investigations. For those who don’t know, the connection with Mashreque Bank was first when Sri Lankan Airlines started Banking and borrowing from them when the Rajapaksa brother-in-law was heading it… or rather destroying it. 
a court Dubai heard a case where lawyers for Sri Lanka Government were seeking an order to freeze nearly a half a billion dollars in a bank account. It has been established that this account is in the name of a young politician, the son of a former VVIP. It has also been established that there was well over a billion US dollars when information was first received about this account. The politician in question had transferred a big part of the funds to a bank in an eastern European country. Reports that a close relative helped in the transfer of funds there are now being probed.
When the case was taken up the previous Thursday, the Judge who heard submissions summoned that country’s Attorney General. He had sought his opinion whilst listing the case in the court that sits on a Sunday, being an Islamic country.
This has come as conclusive proof that the country’s wealth has been unabashedly looted by a handful in the previous administration and the monies deposited in foreign banks. Lawyers representing the Sri Lanka Government have been “adequately” briefed how the monies in question have been amassed. Government leaders believe the evidence they have placed before court is sufficient grounds to first freeze funds remaining in the account.
This is to buy itself time to prevent further draining of monies and also to obtain time to produce more evidence that criminal acts were committed in amassing those funds. A source familiar with these developments said, “The breakthrough we have achieved is only a tip of the iceberg. There are others who have similarly plundered the State wealth and amassed vast sums of money in foreign countries. We are on their tracks but for obvious reasons more cannot be said.”
Comments