21 April 2021 12:22 am
A Fundamental Rights (FR) petition was yesterday filed by Thiniyawala Palitha Thera against six respondents including State Minister Ajith Nivard Cabraal and President's Secretary Dr. P.B. Jayasundara in the Supreme Court alleging the respondents had misappropriated Rs. 23 billion public funds in 2014.
In the petition, Thera mentioned that the first respondent-State Minister Ajith Nivard Cabraal had paid US Dollars 6.5 million which is around Rs. 23 billion public funds from the Central Bank to an American Businessman named Imaad Shah Zuberi, who was a CIA agent to boost its image in the United States.
Thera mentioned that the particular US Businessman was later found guilty to the charges levelled against him under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) and currently serving a 12- year- jail term in the US.
"State Minister Cabraal has committed a serious criminal act and he had violated Article 150 of the Constitution by removing the funds from the Consolidated Fund," Thera mentioned in the petition.
The petitioner further stated that there was a record of history regarding fraudulent activities conducted by the first respondent-State Minister Ajith Nivard Cabraal and mentioned several irregularities committed by the respondent.
By filing the FR petition, Thera said that Mr. Cabraal and Mr. Jayasundara who had committed serious fraud and misappropriation of public funds had to be excluded from any state operation. (Yoshitha Perera)