CEB suspends Chief Engineer

5 May 2011 10:15 am

The Director Board of the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) acting on the instructions of Power and Energy Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka suspended with immediate effect the services of its Chief Engineer Dr. Susantha Perera for alleged misappropriation of Rs. 52 million from the Lanka Electricity Company (LECO), a spokesman said.

The suspension comes in the wake of a ten member committee appointed by the Power and Energy Ministry Secretary M.M.C Ferdinando on August 10, 2009 following the detection of the misappropriation of LECO funds, he said.

The committee report handed over to Minister Ranawaka on October 12, 2009 revealed that a fraud of Rs. 61million had been committed at LECO and recommended a CID investigation.

The committee had also found that the financial misappropriation has been carried out for several years and under many guises.

However, DR. Susantha Perera has been able to secure another senior post at the Ceylon Electivity Board (CEB) through CEB’s General Manager Badra  Jayaweera after he was interdicted in April 2011 by the LECO management following the findings and recommendations of the inquiry.

The spokesman said this appointment as the Chief Engineer, was given in violation the CEB regulations and without the knowledge of the Board of Directors and violated the accepted procedure of the CEB.

It was after another inquiry that the CEB top management has decided to suspend Dr. Perera.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Badra Jayaweera clarifying her position of the appointment of Dr. Perera as the Cheif Engineer of the CEB after his suspension at the LECO said she appointed him for the post after informing the Secretary of the Ministry and the Chairman of the CEB.

She added that Dr. Perera had been released by the CEB to the LECO on condition that he could return to the CEB and take up the post he held earlier.
The spokesman said the CID has begun an inquiry into the incident.  (SAJ)