INTERPOL confirms Sicille Kotelawala legally living in the UK since 2009

On-the-run Sicille Kotelawala, a key suspect in the Rs 26 billion Golden Key (GK) scam which brought down the entire Ceylinco empire in December 2008, has been legally living in the UK since 2009, after fleeing Sri Lanka, a local court was told this week.

Evading arrest since the GK crisis broke out, Ms Kotelawala, wife of Lalith Kotelawala, is living in Central London, Inspector Ishan Raban attached to the INTERPOL division at the CID, told the Colombo High Court, when the GK financial fraud case was taken up for hearing on Friday.

Lawyers for the depositors said that INTERPOL has been tracking her in Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia and England, and finally found her living in London. Her visa in the UK was extended in June 2011, for up to 19-06 -2018.

This was the first time this information transpired in Court, although several depositors informed the CID and Attorney General‘s (AG) Department of the possible hiding place of Ms Kotelawala in the UK in 2011, said President- GK Depositors Association, Dushyanthi Hapugoda. She said that she was informed by the AG’S department that they were contemplating moving for the extradition of Ms Kotelawala, who has been traced to the UK at that time. She added that they have told her that this procedure is time consuming, as they have to file an application with the British crown prosecution seeking her extradition.

President- GK Depositors Society, Anusha Emmert told the Sunday Times that they cannot understand as to why the authorities are still delaying to arrest the suspect, where a judicial arrest warrant has been issued against her on March 2009, in connection with the GK scam, which saw thousands of depositors deprived of their hard earned money, following the Company’s collapse in December 2008.

The AG’S Department indicted Lalith Kotelawala and eight other GK directors and officials under 91 criminal charges for alleged conspiracy against the State, by operating a finance company between 1999 and 2008, against the provisions of the Finance Companies Act, and thereby, inter alia, committing criminal breach of trust and misappropriation of funds in connection with the GK scam.

Others indicted are Khavan Michael Perera (Ceo-deputy Chairman), Sicille Kotelawala, Padmini Karunanayake, Saradha Sumanasekera, Neranjan Fernando, Suramya Karunanayake, Padma Nandani Kumar and Shantha Ranasinghe, who served as the Company’s Financial Controller.