The Weerawansas Patriotic Deeds

For
mer Minister Wimal Weerawansa and Sashi Weerawansa

by Nirmala Kannangara
Leader of the National Freedom Front (NFF) MP Wimal Weerawansa, who himself
portrays an image of a politician and saviour of the masses, was recently exposed
himself as an offender. Two weeks earlier, he was arrested by the Criminal
Investigation Department (CID) and was later granted bail by the Negombo Magistrate
of having two passports. Weerawansas wife has, on the other hand, been accused of
providing false information to get a passport.
The Weerawansas however have been in the midst of much controversy.
On October 20 and 21, Minister of
Housing and Construction Sajith
Premadasa further exposed
Weerawansa in parliament that
he had allegedly misused funds of
the Housing and Construction
Ministry which was to be used to
construct houses for low income families to print diaries and calendars.
According to Minister Premadasa, Rs.14.8 million had been spent on printing 2,100

executive diaries, 5,200 normal diaries, and 11, 258 calendars for the year 2015, but
the promised number of calendars and diaries had not been supplied. However, the
full payment had been paid for them. Hence, it is a question why action had been not
taken against the printer. No one knows either to whose pocket these money had gone.
Premadasa said that Rs.14.8 million had been obtained from all departments under
Weerawansa: The Department of Building Rs.24, 570, the National Physical
Planning Department Rs.80, 850, the Government Works Department Rs. 42,580,
the Urban Settlement Development Authority Rs.108,350, the Condominium
Management Authority Rs.107, 050, the Institute of Construction Training and
Development Rs.177,000, the State Development and Construction Corporation Rs.
937,600, Ocean View Development Company (Pvt.) Ltd. Rs. 944,900, the State
Engineering Corporation Rs. 59.68 million, the National Housing Development
Authority Rs. 5.459 million, the Ministry of Housing and Construction (through
advertising) Rs. 950,000. The total amount: Rs.14.8 million.
Printing orders
Premadasa further said tenders had not been called to offer the printing order but had
selected RG Graphics, J and D Publishing House, RS Enterprises, Imashi Publishers,
and Liphwin Printers from yellow pages and had given the contract to Imashi
Publishers.
They have not followed the government procurement guidelines. It was Wimal
Weerawansas private secretary his brother, and the Coordinating Secretary that had
got the names of the printers from the yellow pages and selected the printer. Even
though 2,100 executive diaries had been ordered, only 1,200 had been delivered. Of
the 5, 200 normal diaries, only 2,800 had been supplied. With the order for 11,258
calendars, only 5,500 had been delivered. What had happened to the rest of the 900
executive diaries, 2,400 normal diaries, and 5,758 calendars? Did they recovered the
money back or what had happened to the money? queried Premadasa.
According to Premadasa, it is surprising that Wimal Weerawansa as the then Minister
of Housing and Construction had allegedly misused money for a worthless cause.
Premadasa added that he will not allocate a single cent either from his ministry,
departments, or institutions under his purview to print diaries or calendars but will
spend the money on giving housing loans for low income families.
Giving a home for a homeless is my vision but not to spend millions of rupees on
worthless causes like Weerawansa spent on extravagantly. I am not taking my
ministerial salary nor any allowances, ministerial vehicles, official residence, etc. I
have given instructions to the ministry to remit all these money to the funds that give
housing aids to the low income families. These extravagant spending of Weerawansa
clearly shows what type of patriot Weerawansa is, the Minister stated.
Weerawansa is further accused of misusing a sum exceeding Rs. 60 million to give

away houses for his family members from Mattegoda and the Kahatuduwa Housing
Schemes constructed by Ocean View Development (Pvt.) Ltd., which came under
Weerawansas purview when he was the Minister of Housing in the former Rajapaksa
regime. Ocean View Development Company (Pvt) Ltd of No: 25, Ocean Tower
Building, Station Road, Colombo 4 is a government owned Construction Company.
Fifty seven per cent of its shares belong to the National Housing Development
Authority. and 43 per cent shares are owned by the Urban Development Authority.
According to Premadasa, the sale price of the lot 16-D house of the Mattegoda Housing
Scheme was Rs. 9.954 million, and the lot 10-B house was Rs.10.178 million. The sale
prices of the Kahatuduwa Housing Scheme houses were the lot 10-B4 was Rs. 8.5
million, the lot 5-B4 was Rs. 8.5 million, the lot 35-B3 was Rs. 9.8 million, and the lot
36-B2 Rs.10.2 million. No easy payment scheme had been given to pay for these
houses and 10 per cent of the value of the houses had to be paid to reserve the house
and after paying 75 per cent of the total value, the house can be occupied, and the rest
had to be paid on monthly instalments within two years without any interests,
Premadasa said.
He further said that Weerawansa had given six houses for his and his wifes siblings.
Housing schemes
Premadasa also pointed out that from the Mattegoda Housing Scheme, the lot 16-D
had been given to Vadachcharige Hemasiri Weerawansas sisters husband. The lot
10-B had been given to Palleperuwa Gamage Ananda Priyadharshana- husband of
another sister of Weerawansas. From Kahatuduwa Housing Scheme, the lot 5-B5 had
been given to Hewa Geeganage Wathsala Kumarasinghe Weerawansas eldest sisters
sons wife, the lot 10-B4 had been given to Isuru Tharangamala Muthu RanaweeraWeerawansas brothers wife. The lot 35-B3 given to Palathegedara Vasantha
Rupasinghe Shahsi Weerawansas brothers wife, and the lot 36-B2 Priyantha
Milinda Ratnayake the Media Manager of the former Presidents Media Unit and
presently the Media Manager to the Urban Development Authority. This house had
been given on the instructions of Shiranthi Rajapaksa.
However, the new government after assuming office in January, had lodged a
complaint with the Financial Crime Investigation Division (FCID). Other than Milinda
Ratnayake, all of Weerawansas family members had returned the houses, but the
company could not recover even the rental for the period the Weerawansas had been
occupying the houses. Meanwhile, reliable sources from Ocean View Development
(Pvt) Limited on conditions of anonymity said that the Weerawansa family had eyed
these houses from the time the construction work had started. He added that instead
of signing a contract before the houses were handed over, the company only obtained a
down payment of 10 per cent of the total value and was given away the houses to
Weerawansa relatives without any other conditions.
Although the houses built by our company are sold at the market value, the two

houses that were built at Mattegoda, and the four houses at Polgasowita were not sold
at the market value but were given away for a down payment of 10 per cent waiving off
the balance secretly, the sources said.
Had the former regime given yet another mandate on January 8, these houses which
cost about Rs.10 million each would have given free of charge to the former Ministers
relatives, the sources further said.
If the developer sold these houses following the government procedure, the company
could have entered into agreements with the parties and should have asked them to
pay the monthly instalments, which the Weerawansa relatives never complied with,
the sources alleged. It was only after the change of government, and a new Board of
Directors were appointed, the former ministers involvement in the housing racket was
able to unearth.
It is public money that has been spent on constructing these houses. It is neither the
former Board of Directors nor the former ministers private money. Violating the rules
and regulation of the construction company, the previous management has given away
these houses without entering into sales agreements with the buyers, leaving many
loopholes for the buyers to slip away from paying the money back to the developer.
It was only after an inquiring committee headed by a retired District Judge G.
Punchihewa was appointed to look into the alleged misuse of public funds at the
construction company, that the former ministers relatives handed over the keys of the
said houses back to the developer claiming that they do not have funds to pay the
instalments for the houses. When they obtained these houses, didnt they know that
they will not be able to pay the money back as they do not have any proper income?
Did they realise it only after the fall of the former regime? Even after the fall of the
former regime, why did they still continue to stay in these houses until the inquiring
committee was appointed? This shows that they did not expect Rajapaksas defeat and
may have thought that the scam would not come to light. Only after realising that they
are under scrutiny, they handed over the six houses in April, sources said.
Highest bidders
When contacted the former Chairman Jagath Perera, who was also the former
Chairman of State Engineering Corporation under whom the tenders were offered to
the highest bidders, said that the houses had been given following the normal sales
procedure.
Further, sources at the State Engineering Corporation too said how tenders were
offered to the highest bidders disregarding government tender procedure. Weerawansa
is also accused of openly flouting government tender procedure and giving instructions
to his officials to abide by the rules he has initiated.
None of the tenders were offered to the rightful tenderer, but to the highest bidder
the Ceylon Steel Corporation, which is alleged to have been owned by a Rajapaksa,
sources said.

Section 7, sub section 7.9.5, and 7.9.6 of the Procurement Guideline of 2006 have
clearly stated that when offering tenders, the first preference should be given to the
companies that have major shares for Sri Lankans. If the tenderer is the sole owner of
the company, h/she should be a Sri Lankan; if it is a joint venture, 50 per cent shares
should be owned by Sri Lankan nationals, and if it is a company, it should be
registered in Sri Lanka and more than 50 per cent shares should be owned by Sri
Lankans. Even though the regulations say so, on the instructions of Weerawansa, all
tenders were offered to the Ceylon Steel Corporation which is owned by Onyx Heavy
Industries and Constructions (Pvt) Ltd registered in British Virgin Island, the sources
claimed.
According to the sources, the Sri Lankan ownership of Ceylon Steel Corporation is 6.25
per cent, and the ownership has 93.75 per cent shares. This company has clearly
mentioned that it is not a Sri Lankan company in its 2013/ 2014 annual report. But
Weerawansa wanted his officials to offer all the tenders to this company without
allowing the Technical Evaluation Committee to follow the Procurement guidelines.
Whenever tenders were called to supply steel to the State Engineering Corporation
(SEC), only four parties the Ceylon Steel Corporation, Melwire Rolling (Pvt) Ltd.,
Indu Sri (Pvt) Ltd., and G.T.B. Private Limited sent their bids. Other than Melwire
Rollong (Pvt) Ltd., which is 100 per cent a Sri Lankan company, other three bidders
are foreign companies, the sources added.
Meanwhile, SEC internal auditor on the instructions of the present Chairman in one of
its report to the Chairman dated April 1, 2015 had clearly stated that the then
administration bypassed the tender procedure and offered the tenders to the highest
bidder incurring losses to the Corporation to the tune of millions of rupees.
The tender procedures were not followed after Weerawansa took over the office. If the
tenders were offered to the lowest bidder Melwire Rolling (Pvt) Ltd., the
Corporation would have saved Rs. 37.275 million, the sources said.
Internal audit report
Internal Audit report According to the Internal Audit report, with the tender (SDQ/ S2/ 39,37/ 2011) which was offered on March 1 to purchase steel, Melwire Rolling (Pvt)
Limited had submitted their rates as Rs. 92,000 per a M/Tonne (without VAT and
NBT) and the Ceylon Steel Corporation Limited has submitted Rs.101,200 per
M/Tonne. Despite the Technical Evaluation Committee (TEC) recommendation to the
lowest bidder, the then Chairman Jagath Kumara Perera has offered the tender to the
Ceylon Steel Corporation claiming it is a local company.
It was the same procedure that has been followed in 2012 as well. When the tenders
(SDO/S-2/45/2012) were called to supply steel for year 2012, GTB (Pvt) Limited, the
Ceylon Steel Corporation, Indu Sri (Pvt) Ltd., and Melwire Rolling (Pvt) Limited have
submitted their prices, but the TEC has rejected the Melwire application for technical

issues, the sources claimed.

The sources further said that SEC had allegedly purchased steel without calling tenders
in 2013 and 2014 from Ceylon Steel Corporation.
Even though tenders were called (No: SDQ/ S-2/ 45/ 2012) to supply 150 M/Tonnes,
as its value was over Rs.50 million, a ministry officials should have been a member of
the Procurement Committee to give the approval, only the then Chairman, and the
then Deputy General Manager had given the approval to the highest bidder. As a result
of these malpractices that directly involved Weerawansa, the country has lost several
millions of rupees, sources added.
The sources further accused Weerawansa of giving directives to pay Ruwan Trade
Center, and Jayalath Constructions to supply tar and granite to the Asphalt Plant in
Galpatha in the Kalutara District that manufacture a special tar type to carpet roads.
All these directions to SEC came from Weerawansa through Mohommed Muzammil,
the then Working Director, to the then Chairman, Jagath Perera, and finally to the
then GM, M.R. Jeyachandran, the sources said. All attempts to contact Wimal
Weerawansa and Mohommed Muzamil for a comment on the allegations made against
them by Housind and Construction Minister Sajith Premadasa was unsuccessful. Even
though text messages were sent seeking comments, none of them resulted in a
response.
Meanwhile, Weerawansas Coordinating Secretary Bandara, when this newspaper
contacted him, said that it was the departments and the institutions under
Weerawansa that spent the money to print diaries and calendars. What is the wrong
in it? Every institution prints calendars and diaries at the end of every year. Rs. 14.8
million is a small amount when comparing to other ministerial expenses to print
calendars and diaries. Our leader has nothing to do with these allegations. If there had
been a fraud, it is the ministry staff that has to take the responsibility, Bandara said.
Posted by Thavam