Shroff embezzled stamp money

A former shroff of the Southern Province Inland Revenue Department who pleaded guilty of fraud  involving Rs.100,000 was sentenced to two years rigorous imprisonment, suspended for ten years and  fined Rs.10,000 by the Galle High Court Judge Sarojini Kusala Weerawardene.

The accused Ambana Palliya Guruge Wijesiri, who was attached to the Southern Province Inland  Revenue Department, made a complaint on December 14, 2011 to the Galle Police that two men who  entered the shroff branch by force took away a stock of revenue stamps to the value of about  Rs.175,000. The Galle Police arrested two young men on suspicion, but released them after  questioning.

Meanwhile, the investigating officers of the Southern Province Chief Secretary’s Office who carried  out a separate inquiry reported that it was not a robbery but a fraud for which the shroff was  responsible. They reported that the officer concerned had been misappropriating the money collected  from the sale of stamps since November 2, 2011.

The Special Crime Investigation Branch of the Galle Police that carried out further investigations  into the matter filed action against the shroff. However, he had paid part of the misappropriated  funds during the investigations reducing the involvement of the fraud. (By D.G.Sugathapla )