The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) had begun an investigation against the Chief Executive Officer at the secretarial office of the Deyata Kirula National Exhibition 2013 for allegedly cheating and misappropriation an amount of Rs.39 million in contrast to the tender procedure.

Secretary to the Ministry of Telecommunication and Information Technology Mr. H.M. Gunasekara had lodged a complaint with the CID regarding this alleged misappropriation valued at Rs.39 million on February 21, 2013. In his complaint to the CID, he had informed that Kanthi Gunawardana the Additional Secretary to the Ministry of Telecommunication and Information Technology was appointed as the Chief Executive Officer of the Deyata Kirula Exibition 2013. The complainant said subsequently Mrs. Kanthi Gunawardana was interdicted from the post of Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Deyata Kirula 2013 over committing frauds while implementing several projects in the Deyata Kirula site in Ampara.

The secretary to the Ministry of Telecommunication and Information Technology further alleged that the CEO of the Deyata Kirula Exhibition had acted contrary to the procedure of the Procurement and Technical Evaluation Committee and thereby cheated Rs.39 million while constructing 230 temporary toilets, reading room and canteen in the Deyata Kirula Exhibition site.

The complainant alleged that the contract relating to the construction of temporary toilets    had given to a private company without the approval of Procurement and Technical Evaluation Committee by the CEO of the Deyata Kirula Exhibition and thereby paid an additional payment of Rs.1.7 million to the contractor. He further alleged that the suspect had paid another additional payment amounting to Rs.12 million for the construction of a reading room in the Deyata Kirula Exhibition premises. He further alleged that she had approved another additional payment of Rs.11 million for a contractor to construct a canteen and further paid an additional payment of Rs.255,000 for flower decorations in the site.(Lakmal Sooriyagoda)

Source: Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka)