Bid to buy USD 2.5 mn ship: Former SLN officer, others under probe

 

By Chaminda Silva- 2021/12/30

Public Security Minister Rear Admiral (retd.) Sarath Weerasekera has directed the IGP to investigate an incident where a retired Navy officer, some businessman and several lawyers sought to acquire a foreign ship worth USD 2.5 million by claiming that they had the blessings of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.

The persons involved in the fraud were assisted by international ship racketeers, Minister Weerasekera has said in a letter to the IGP.

They have used the letterhead of the Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Department and forged the signature of the Department head, and the forged document has been submitted to the Colombo Commercial High Court, where a case is being heard following a complaint by Seamax Ceylon Pvt., Ltd., which owns the ship in question, Astan-2.

The ship arrived here in May 2019 and was registered under the Sri Lankan flag in February, 2020. It has since been anchored off Mutwal.

The Minister has asked the IGP to provide him with a detailed report after carrying out a thorough probe.

The Colombo Crime Division has reported to the Colombo Commercial High Court that the Director General of the Fisheries and Aquatic Department confirmed that his signature had been forged by the suspects.