DEYATA KIRULA FRAUD CASE: MAIN SUSPECT STILL AT LARGE

The CID yesterday informed Court that it was unable to arrest the prime suspect Kanthi Gunawardana in connection with the Rs.39 million-fraud at the Deyata Kirula National Exhibition as she was absconding.

It said the main suspect was the former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Deyata Kirula National Exhibition 2013.

However, President’s Counsel Shanaka Ranasinghe appearing for Ms. Gunawardana had told Court on Monday that she was still working at the Ministry of Public Administration

The contract to construct temporary toilets had been given to the company owner M.M. Sarathchandra Ekanayake without the approval of the PTEC

and that there was no reason for her to evade police.

Meanwhile, a private construction company owner who was allegedly involved in misappropriating public funds while constructing 230 temporary toilets at the Deyata Kirula exhibition site was ordered to be further remanded till May 7 by Magistrate Gihan Pilapitiya.

The CID alleged that the CEO had given the contract to construct temporary toilets to company owner M.M. Sarathchandra Ekanayake without the approval of the Procurement and Technical Evaluation Committee (PTEC). The CID alleged that Mr. Ekanayake had accepted money from this unlawful transaction and thereby had committed an offence under the Public Property Act.

On April 4, Ms. Gunawardana filed an anticipatory bail application in Court to pre-empt the possibility of being arrested over charges levelled by the CID. She was ordered to report to the CID on April 23.

In her petition, Ms. Gunawardana denied all the allegations levelled against her and maintained that all transactions done by her were duly accounted for and therefore she had not committed any offence.