Breaking News

Golden Key depositors hit back at Kotelawala

20 Feb 2015 - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

While disputing the information provided by Ceylinco Group’s founding Chairman Lalith Kotelawala, the Golden Key Depositors Association (GKDA) members maintained that the funds deposited in the Golden Key Credit Card Co. Ltd and five other companies in the Ceylinco group were defrauded.

They also claimed that Dr. Kotelawala is evading the settlement of the money by abusing the Court process.

GKDA President Dushyanthi Hapugoda told a news conference that Dr. Kotelawala has violated his bail conditions by launching Tripna Travels and Tours Ltd., a subsidiary of Ceylinco and urged that he be arrested for doing so.

“Everything he said at that interview is a lie. Out of the 26 billion rupees he defrauded, we can’t even find 500 million rupees because he has various methods of avoiding payment. When you take the entire amount he defrauded into account it’s a staggering 45 billion rupees. As claimed by him it is also a complete lie that all his assets were seized by the then Government,” Ms. Hapugoda charged.

“All the ‘black money’ he refers to in Golden Key is the hard earned money of innocent people. He says he can’t remember anything, but there are several memo’s to Khavan Perera with his signature that might refresh his memory.”

She also demanded the immediate arrest of his wife Sicille Kotelawala against whom there were High Court and Interpol arrest warrants and pointed out that the then Government had done nothing to ensure her arrest.

“There are High Court and Interpol warrants for Sicille Kotelawala’s arrest, but I have found a statement issued by John Rankin in February 2013 stating that Britain has not received any request for extradition from the Sri Lankan government. So as a result she is staying in luxury apartments there,” Ms. Hapugoda said. (Jehan Gunasekara)