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Kotagala raid: Thonda to be quizzed
Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC) leader Arumugam Thondaman is to be questioned by police on allegations that his party members misappropriated state funds.

The questioning is a sequel to a Friday-night raid carried out by Colombo Crime Division’s special detectives who found television sets, computers, sewing machines, bicycles and sports equipment purchased out of state funds, but left undistributed for the past two years.

The detection was made at the Kotagala youth centre, a building owned by CWC parliamentarian V. Puthirasigamany, and rented out to the CWC-controlled Nuwara Eliya Pradeshiya Sabha. The building has now been sealed by police.

Pradeshiya Sabha Chairman P. Sakthivel was being questioned last evening while Mr. Thondaman and Mr. Puthirasigamany are also to be questioned, Police said.

Detectives said they found 45 television sets, 13 computers, 86 sewing machines, 38 bicycles and a large quantity of sports items purchased from the funds allocated to Parliamentarians for the development of the district.
The items had been stored there for more than two years, but the raid was ordered soon after the Presidential election on November 17.

The Sunday Times learns that the Nuwara Eliya police were not involved in the investigations and it was handled from Colombo. A CWC official said the allegation of any misuse was baseless and the items were stored in the building till they found deserving recipients.

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