SriLankan chairman dumps Weliamuna report into dustbin!

Dec 11, 2015

The well-known ‘Weliamuna report’, prepared by senior advocate J.C. Weliamuna detailing corruption in the SriLankan Airline during the Rajapaksa regime, has been dumped into the dustbin by its incumbent chairman Ajith Dias, allege trade union activists at the airline.

The airline comes under Kabir Hashim’s State Enterprise Development Ministry, but Dias is saying publicly that he is accountable only to his Royal Collage classmate, prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.

 

Dias is yet to implement a single proposal in the ‘Weliamuna report’, or conduct any of the disciplinary inquiries with regard to instances of corruption. He is saying that SriLankan is not a state institution, but one that is functioning under the Companies Act.

 

His conduct has led to a division in the director board of the airline. Directors Mahinda Haridas and Sunil Peiris are agreeing with the chairman’s foolish decisions, TU activists point out. Those who work for the betterment of the institution are former CEO Rakhitha Jayawardena, Chanaka de Silva (CEAT, Kelani Tyres chairman), Nirj Deva (European parliament MP), H.K. Balapatabendi (son of the former secretary to the president) and Rajan Britto (deputy chairman of Aitken Spence).

 

Chairman Dias has appointed those loyal to him to top positions and approved a big salary with many allowances, but had to withdraw them due to opposition by the directors. 

 

TU activists say the incumbent is continuing with the wrongs that were rampant during the tenure of his predecessor Nishantha Wickramasinghe. Its call centre is still being runby Hello Corp, whose registered owner is Namal Rajapaksa.