Colombo: A Sri Lankan court on Monday issued
an arrest warrant for Gen Sarath Fonseka`s son-in-law in a
multi-million dollar defence scam, spelling more trouble for
the defeated opposition presidential candidate who is already
detained for treason charges.
The Colombo Fort Magistrate issued an arrest warrant
for Dhanuna Tillekaratna over the multi-million dollar Hicorp
deal, a defence contract which was awarded when Fonseka was
the army chief.
The CID meanwhile uncovered Sri Lankan Rs 15 million
and USD 5.5 lakh from a safe vault of a private bank in
Colombo that belonged to Tillekaratne`s mother.
The government has claimed the son-in-law of the
common opposition presidential candidate has earned profits
from arms procurements of the Army during the war with the
LTTE.
According to reports, the then Army Commander Fonseka
could approve procurement of equipment below the value of Sri
Lankan Rs 25 million.
The deal is per se "corrupt" when Fonseka awarded
such tenders to Hicorp International INC of which his
son-in-law was President, the state owned Daily News quoted an
leading Attorney-at-Law to say recently.
The company was carrying on its business under a
different trade name British Borneo Defence ( of which also
Dhanuna was the President), he said.
The Attorney-at-Law said the Government had laid down
clear guidelines for the purchase of equipment and it was not
"ethical" to sit in a tender board for a person if somebody
known to him or one of his relatives is bidding, the Daily
News reported.
PTI
