Metal deal with bomber’s company: “Instructions received from IDB heads”

By Yoshitha Perera 

Assistant Sales Manager of the Industrial Development Board (IDB) Palitha Dikwella yesterday said that former Chairman of IDB Mahinda Jinasena and its Director General P.L.U. Rathnamalala had instructed him in 10 occasions to issue large amounts of scrap metal for the ‘Colossus’ company. 

Testifying before the PCoI probing the Easter Sunday attacks, Dikwella said that he had received letters from the former Chairman and DG to approve the purchase deal to ‘Colossus’, owned by Easter Sunday suicide bomber Insaf Ahamad Ibrahim during the period between 2017 and 2019. 

 
He informed the Commission that ‘Colossus’ had purchased a considerable amount of used Brass and these problematic purchases had even negatively affected other small and medium scale enterprises.   He also admitted that he had not followed proper guidelines when issuing scrap metal for the bomber’s company.

 According to him, he was appointed as the head of scrap metal unit in the year of 2017, the witness said.   

Earlier, testifying before the Commission, IDB’s Marketing Director Sarath Udayasiri said that the IDB had provided scrap metal for ‘Colossus’ at concessionary rates.   
When PCoI Commissioners questioned who was the minister during that tenure, witness said that Rishad Bathiudeen served as the Minister of Industry and Commerce.   

• ‘Colossus’ had purchased a considerable amount of used Brass and these problematic purchases had even negatively affected other small and medium scale enterprises