Marapana pulls out of CIFL defence team
Tilak Marapana, an influential member of the ruling United National Party, has pulled out of the legal team defending alleged CIFL head Deepthi Perera. When the case was taken up for hearing this week before Colombo Chief Magistrate Gihan Pilapitiya, Eranga Gunawardena, Attorney at Law told Court that Mr. Marapana, PC who appeared for Mr. Perera, has withdrawn from the case and asked for a fresh date. The case was postponed to September 1.
Mr. Perera, former chairman of Central Investment and Finance Co (CIFL) who has been allegedly hiding in Cambodia, returned to Sri Lanka on August 10 and was arrested at the airport with a bogus passport.
K.W. Gunawardena, CIFLDA President told the Business Times that they were disappointed with the attitude of the government.
President Maithripala Sirisena and former Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake had promised to solve their problems but nothing tangible has happened while depositors of Golden Key, an unregistered finance company, have been paid.The association wowed to go to court if within three months their problems are not solved.