RADA Tiran Alles, Emil Kanthan & Accomplices to be Indicted …..

In 2015,  Tiran Alles was questioned by Police on alleged money transaction with  Tiger guerrillas through the Reconstruction and Development Agency (RADA), of which he was the Chairman. It is alleged that Emil Kanthan, a former LTTE financier, facilitated this deal. Large amount of state funds were released to a non existing company.

During prosecution in court then the following facts were  revealed:

Prosecutor  said that, in order to attend to reconstruction and development work in areas affected by natural and man-made disasters, in a coordinated, cost-effective and expeditious manner, by merging the work handled by the Rehabilitation of Persons, Properties and Industries Authority (REPPIA), Taskforce for Rebuilding the Nation (TAFREN) and Taskforce for Relief (TAFOR), the Reconstruction and Development Agency (RADA) was established by Presidential Directive dated 28.11.2005, and subsequently gazetted. This was a decision taken by the then President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

He said Tiran Alles was appointed Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of RADA by President Rajapaksa. The other members of the Board of Management were B. Abayagunawardena, Tilak Amunugama, Shanthi Fernando and Saliya Wickremasuriya. RADA functioned during the period 2006 – 2007. One of the tasks of RADA was the Jaya-Lanka Housing Project, to construct new houses throughout Sri Lanka, in areas affected by natural and manmade disasters. On December 30, 2005, the Petitioner along with Saliya Wickremasuriya (who is in remand custody) and Emil Kanthan (who was an LTTE activist) proceeded to Kilinochchi.

 They met with LTTE cadre named Puuvannan. As a result of that conversation, acting on the advice of Emil Kanthan, they got an organisation named B & K Holding (incorporated as a company on December 23, 2005) of Shanthikumar Gajankumar registered. The Directors of B & K Holdings (Pvt.) Ltd. were Shanthikumar Gajankumar, Shanthikumar Kishokumar & Barkavi Shanthikumar. Gajankumar is a person who was carrying out a small scale garment manufacturing firm named Oomph.

Gajankumar, Counsel Kodagoda said was never involved in the construction of houses. The company did not have the certification of ICTAD – Institute for Construction, Training and Development. The company was awarded the contract for constructing 400 houses in Trincomalee on April 20, 2006. Another company registered was Everest Civil Engineering Services which was not an incorporated company.

 On February 13, 2006 it was registered as a firm. Karupiah Sashikumar and Kandaswamy Sothirajah were the partners. RADA entered into a contract with the firm on April 20, 2006. It was for the purported construction of 400 houses in Batticaloa, at the rate of Rs. 780,434 per unit.He said not a single house has been constructed by any of these companies. However, RADA has paid these companies a total of Rs. 169 mn.

According to investigations conducted so far, nine cheques issued to these companies have been detected. Tiran Alles has personally signed two of them. The value of all nine cheques comes to a total to Rs. 124mn. Subsequently, a sum of Rs. 38.2 million had come back to Tiran Alles. Shanthikumar Gajankumar, a director of these two alleged dummy companies has made a statement to this effect to a magistrate, Prosecutor added.

The AG  has  filled a report with the Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court yesterday in this connection. Emil Kanthan had not been named a suspect in the RADA case before this report by the AG. The Attorney General has recommended that four individuals including Tiran Alles and Emil Kanthan should be indicted over the RADA case.

They are accused of misappropriating funds provided to reconstruct houses for people who lost their homes during the 2004 Tsunami. Meanwhile, four others who were involved in the case have been released according to the recommendations.