NGO Files: Free Media Movement Hides 40 Million Fraud

June 2, 2012

Free Media Movement  now says they are not doing further investigations. But its own reports shows rupees 30,900,000 (30.9 million) went unaudited and they failed to submit accounts for the official years 2007/2008 and 2008/2009 to its membership. Although the office-bearers positions are volunteer positions, FMM is a registered NGO under Sri Lankan law. Under the Sri Lankan law FMM has to submit its annual accounts to the NGO Commissioner. It has even failed to fulfill this obligation. 

“Sunil Jayasekara was a member of the executive committee at the time and it is that ExCo that is responsible for the finances of the organisation. What is crystal clear in the backdrop of Deshapriya’s deceit and the FMM cover-up is that the twisted logic and subtle manipulation of facts are all the same. All this, ironically, when ethics codes have been formulated anew by media organizations all over the world, including Sri Lanka.” writes the Editor of the Sunday Leader Frederica Jansz .

“Following the AGM, new allegations are now emerging that Sunil Jayasekara violated existing rules and spent money without the ‘prior’ approval of the executive committee” she further writes.

Below we give Frederica Jansz’s  article ‘Free Media Movement Hides 40 Million Fraud‘; 

Corruption is rampant in this country. But, even as we point fingers at this regime as we have done with each successive government it is only right we look inwards and examine our own backyard. We don’t need to look far. The Free Media Movement priding itself on being a non-partisan independent group of journalists, newspaper editors and media personalities who are committed to freedom of expression, opinion and information stand guilty of hiding a forty million rupee fraud. Read More