London for Olympic: Geneva for UN: Visa Racket at the SL External Affairs Ministry

London for Olympic: Geneva for UN: Visa Racket at the SL External Affairs Ministry

(Lanka-e-News-05.April.2012, 6.00AM)Visa racket has been going on in the Ministry of External Affairs during the last few months. Accordingly, it is the Ministry that provides officials notes to the Foreign Embassies in Colombo to obtain visa for VIPs, officials and others who accompany the President, PM and the Ministers and those who visit countries for official purposes. Usually, if an official note from the External Affairs Ministry is given, any Diplomatic Mission in Colombo grants visa. This privilege has been misused very often. Sometimes, official notes for political henchmen and those who expect to enter Europe, UK, Canada, Australia, USA and Japan are given when such requests come from the Presidential Secretariat, Defense Ministry, or PM’s office as the External Affairs Ministry has no choice other than adhering to their order. However, on certain occasions some crooks in these places approach the Ministry in different manner. This is by offering money amounting to many hundred thousand to the high ranking officials in the External Affairs Ministry. The sole authority in issuing such official documents rests on the Director General of the Overseas Administration Division of the External Affairs Ministry. The notes are prepared by a small unit in the Overseas Administration Division named travel division. It was learnt that present Director General involves in a visa racket by providing official notes to the crooks for money. He has also issued such documents especially at the request of the lady additional Secretary of the Ministry who is trying to become the next Secretary. She has influenced in issuing officials documents to her friends in London who are in need of getting down their relatives to the UK.

Present Director General of the Overseas Administration Division cooperates with the lady secretary as he worked under her in London and he is longing for an Ambassadorial post very soon. In fact, the lady typist who helped the Director General of the Overseas Administration Division has given a transfer to London for her service although she has only a few months for her retirement. She failed the examinations intended for selecting typists to work in the Missions on a number of times. This visa racket seems to be very easy to operate as many have been visiting London for Olympic preparation and Geneva for various UN meetings. According to the Ministry sources, a large number of people of a youth organization under the synthetic lawyer would be using these facilities to visit London under the pretext of attending meetings related to Olympic.