SriLankan Airlines Chairman Dias Claims Weliamuna’s Rs 3.5 Million Report Has Zero Value

October 10, 2016

SriLankan Airlines Chairman Ajith Dias has condemned the ‘Weliamuna Report’ saying there was no financial misappropriations found as stated in the final findings made against the former Chairman Nishantha Wickramasinghe, CEO Kapila Chandrasena and thirteen others.

J. C. Weliamuna

Chairman Dias Speaking to the Sunday Times had also gone on to clear the names of cabin crew member Chathurika J. Muhandiram, the airline’s New York representative Dilan Ariyawansa, senior cabin crew member Senanaya Senanayaka, Head of Human Resources Pradeepa Kekulawala, Head of Security Piyadi Chandrawansa, Head of Finance Yasantha Dissanayake and Chief Operations Officer Druvi Perera among others against whom serious allegations were made in the report.

This means that even Udayanga Weeratunga, Sri Lanka’s former Ambassador to Russia who was accused earlier of influencing the airline’s operations as the General Sales Agent is also cleared.

Chairman Dias had confirmed that four current directors of the national carrier were appointed to scrutinize the ‘Weliamuna Report‘ and that they had found no financial misappropriation as highlighted in the final report which was submitted by Lawyer J.C. Weliamuna and his team.

The entire exercise carried out by Lawyer J.C.Weliamuna and his team took place over a six week period between February and March of last year, where scores of staff were requested to fearlessly come forward and spill the beans. An internal staff memo was issued by the national carrier assuring them protection for doing so.

Lawyer J.C.Weliamuna confessed that he was paid Rs 3.5 million rupees in total for his work. He however did not provide a breakdown for the fees that he obtained.

Dismissing the ‘Weliamuna Report’, Chairman Dias had then gone on to say that the final report was based on what people who were interviewed had stated.

” This is misuse of public funds. When there is a government body like Criminal Investigation Department and lawyers available who are attached to the Attorney Generals’ Department to investigate such acts, the Minister arbitrarily appointed a lawyer who supported Yahapalanaya and was ultimately rewarded Rs 3.5 million. This alone is a misusing of public funds. J.C.Weliamuna should be ashamed to point fingers at others with himself being the Chairman of Transparency International. Lawyer J.C. Weliamuna should have the decency and moral ethics to refund the monies in full especially after providing such a dud report,” a former judge told Colombo Telegraph.

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