Financial Times

SC orders list of assets from GK and Kotelawala

By Bandula Sirimanna

The Supreme Court (SC) on Monday directed the Attorney General (AG) - through the Monetary Board of the Central Bank - to obtain a comprehensive list of assets of Golden Key (GK) Credit Card Company Ltd and its subsidiaries as well as the assets of Ceylinco Chief Lalith Kotelawala to be sold to refund the money of depositors.

The Monetary Board has been directed to obtain details of assets from directors and shareholders of the GK by way of affidavits, a declaration of their assets and liabilities and if a full disclosure was not made, under the purview of the Monetary Board, such act would be treated as contempt of Court and would be dealt with accordingly.

The court rejected the list of assets submitted by the company earlier to the AG saying that it is unacceptable because the value mentioned in some of these assets were unrealistic and over valued. That list prepared by a proposed Trust was published in The Sunday Times FT last week. Deputy Solicitor General Sarath Jayamanne told The Sunday Times FT that GK directors should divulge their assets as well as company assets to the Central Bank to help compile a comprehensive list to be produced before the court. The Central Bank has already commenced their investigations into this matter following the SC ruling, he said.

The Monetary Board should prepare the full list of assets and its actual value obtaining information from directors of the company, the court ruled in the fundamental rights’ petitions filed by 23 GK depositors. The court earliar issued an interim order preventing directors of GK from selling or transferring its properties and preventing the company hierarchy from operating or closing any foreign bank accounts maintained by them and from transferring or depositing funds in such bank accounts.

Court asked the Monetary Board to submit a report as to what steps have been taken with regard to the investigation conducted by the CB’s Special Investigation Unit on GK in 2006. Attorney General Mohan Peiris gave an assurance that the report will be submitted on the next hearing day in the case on April 27. Meanwhile in another development the Colombo Commercial High Court issued a restraining order on Wednesday preventing the GK, its Chairman Kotelawala and the other respondents from directly or indirectly making any payments to selected depositors without the permission of the Court. They were also restrained from leaving Sri Lanka without permission from Court while the company was restrained from operating its bank accounts.

In the meantime, the Interpol division of Singapore has sent an acknowledgement letter to the CID stating that they will take prompt action to adhere to the open warrant issued by the Mt. Lavinia Magistrate to arrest GK Director Sicille P. C. Kotelawala, a senior CID official told The Sunday Times FT . The CID informed Mt. Lavinia Magistrate that action would be taken to arrest Ms. Kotelawala through Interpol. However, when the case was taken up last Thursday, the court made order to produce a proper medical report detailing her exact illness that prevents her from returning to the country.

Denying the allegations of employees on missing files of GK, the CID officer said that all the information and data required for the investigations had been taken over by the CID from the computer network of the company and there was no need for them to go through the files including documents, vouchers, credit card and account statements of customers and company’s establishment documents. He said that everything was in the computer and the CID took it over at the inception of their investigations. Referring to a pirith chanting ceremony conducted at the GK head office at Bambabalapitiya last week that drew some attention, he noted that it was organized by financial controller Shantha Ranathunga without getting permission from the CID. He added that some priests of Mettharama temple Bambalapitiya had conducted the pirith chanting before the arrival of CID officers.

On Thursday, at least 250 depositors of Golden Key staged another protest demonstration opposite the Ceylinco Consolidated company office at Bambalapitiya demanding that the management should hear their plight as most of them are suffering without money even to celebrate the New Year.

They chanted slogans during the 3-hour protest saying Ceylinco directors were enjoying life from their money and the financiers (depositors) were virtually thrown to streets like beggars. President of the Golden Key Depositors Association Anusha Emmert told The Sunday Times FT that they are willing to negotiate with Ceylinco Chief Kotelawala and his management team to work out a compromise formula to settle the grievances of needy depositors numbering around 1,200 who have deposited a sum of around Rs 2 billion.

These people are not rich and they had deposited their hard earned money and some of them had sold their property to get an interest monthly for their day to day living, she said.


 
Top to the page  |  E-mail  |  views[1]
 
Other Financial Times Articles
> Sri Lankan vehicle sales tumble
> Bidding process questioned in Colombo Port project
> VRS. temporary lay-offs being considered
> CB 2008 report next week
> Mind your own business
> Jetwing - Hayleys ties under strain over Lighthouse hotel
> Dumpyard for GK documents?
> Running for cover – in investments
> SC orders list of assets from GK and Kotelawala
> Exporters told to apply for the 5% export rebate
> People's Bank restructuring drive pays off
> Norway to prop up IMF's bailout package
> Sinhaputhra Finance Ltd says growing cautiously
> ADB initiatives in SL
> Marks & Spencer's contribution to help disabled
> Sri Lanka lacks funds to stimulate economy - ADB
> Some EPF claims delayed for 20 years
> Small producers get access to micro finance
> 20 Ceylinco Life policy-holders enjoy luxury ocean cruise
> Most investors prefer state banks- STFT poll
> IMF makes comeback as it wields $1 trillion for global rescue
> Forum on Next Generation Network will attract BPO operators here
> Arpico Finance rights issue oversubscribed
> Ceylon Tea output continues downwards in February
> Samaposha MD for top meeting on Corn and Sorghum Research
> Supply of school furniture
> Fresh look in Singer annual report but revenues flat
> Nokia expects market growth to slow in 2009
> DFCC to help Oman Development Bank boost deposits
> ODEL’s ‘Backstage’ debuts on international stage
> On the CCC Code of Ethics
> Keeping up with the stockmarket
> Details of foreign companies of Ceylinco Chief revealed
> GK staff creates a furore inside office
> Electronic clearing bank payments system by mid May
> ETI opens four new pawning centres, more soon
> SriLankan Airlines launches tourism drive in Italy
> SriLankan Airlines flights ‘Go Green’
> Credit card terminals come to Sri Lanka
> Four new Deputy Governors of the Central Bank
> Ceylinco Shriram Securities renamed Entrust Securities
> Fonterra commissions new yoghurt plant

 

 
Reproduction of articles permitted when used without any alterations to contents and a link to the source page.
© Copyright 2008 | Wijeya Newspapers Ltd.Colombo. Sri Lanka. All Rights Reserved.| Site best viewed in IE ver 6.0 @ 1024 x 768 resolution