By Hansi Nanayakkara Courtesy Ceylon Today

The Financial Crimes Investigation Division (FCID) yesterday (18), informed Colombo Chief Magistrate Lanka Jayaratna that they were currently probing how a sum of over US$ 100 million had been sent from Saudi Arabia to the Batticaloa Campus Private Limited and the Bank accounts from which that sum had been withdrawn, to construct a University in the Poonani area of Batticaloa.

 They said, Parliamentarian Ven. Athuraliye Rathana Thera had lodged a complaint in this connection at the IGP’s office on 12 July, after which the complaint had been handed over to them by the Acting IGP.

They added that after receiving the complaint, they had summoned the monk to record a statement from him.

 The FCID informed the Court that in the complaint, the monk had claimed that the land which had been provided for the construction of the University had belonged to the Maheweli Development Authority (MDA).

They added, the monk had stated that the MDA had given the land to the Hira Foundation for the construction of a technical college and the Hira Foundation had been registered with the Social Services Department.

The FCID told Magistrate Jayaratna, the monk had further mentioned in his statement that after obtaining the land, the Foundation had used it for other activities.

They added that the monk had stated in his complaint that a sum of over US$ 100 million had been sent from overseas to this University and that the sending of such a staggering amount of money had been suspicious.

They also told the Magistrate that Ven. Rathana Thera had stated that 24 hours after the 21 April Easter Sunday terror attack, former Eastern Province Governor Hizbullah had gone to meet three Muslims residing at the Karmy Hotel situated in Passikuda, despite a curfew being imposed throughout the country.

The FCID informed the Court that the monk, in his complaint, had stated that it was suspicious as to why Hizbullah had gone to meet the three Muslims who were residing in the country sans visas and such incidents have to be probed for the safety of the public here.

The FCID said that they had also recorded a statement from Nagaraja Kanthan, a resident of Valachchanai connected to the same incident.

They added that in his statement to them Nagaraja has stated that development work was being carried out on a land owned by the State in this area and upon further inquiries it had come to light that a 35-acre block, owned by the MDA, had been provided to the Sri Lanka Hira Foundation.

 CT Web 02:00 AM Jul 19 2019