Probe on Tiran may lead to his arrest: Police

The Police Special Investigation Unit (SIU) yesterday informed the Colombo Fort Magistrate that it was continuing its investigations into the alleged fraud at the Reconstruction and Development Agency (RADA) in 2006.

The SIU detectives said it was likely that parliamentarian Tiran Alles may be arrested in this connection. They said this when President’s Counsel Anil Silva who is appearing for the fourth remanded suspect raised this matter in Court. Mr. Silva who is appearing for former Petroleum Research Development Secretariat (PRDS) Director General Saliya Wickramasuriya informed Court that his client was a public employee who rendered immense service to the country’s petroleum industry and petroleum research. He asked why the police had failed to arrest the powerful people who were also involved in the incident even a week after they assured Court they would do so.

Meanwhile, Mr. Wickramasuriya who also functioned as the Chief Operating Officer of RADA and three other suspects -- Shanthi Kumar, Gajan Kumar and Anandi Shanthi Kumar who are said to be directors of a fake company named Oomps Textiles Ltd were further remanded till June 1. Police said the RADA Company established in 2006 under the Chairmanship of Mr. Alles for the purpose of constructing houses for the tsunami-affected people in the East Coast had obtained Rs.645 million from the Treasury with the approval of the Presidential Secretariat but that no houses had been constructed. They said the companies -- ‘B.M.K. Holdings’ and ‘Everest Civil Engineering’ also set up for this purpose had not been registered and bore false addresses.

The Police said the funds collected by the RADA were credited to Oomps Textiles Ltd., through the fake companies and that Rs.127 million allocated by the Treasury had been misappropriated.