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CID probes elephant frauds
View(s):The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) is investigating the contents of the report of the one-man committee that unearthed several instances of fraud and corruption in issuing of licences for elephants and the over valuation of an elephant brought to the Dalada Maligawa in 2007 from Myanmar, Wildlife Minister Gamini Jayawickrema Perera said.
He said the report was sent to the Attorney General’s Department to take legal action in instances where substantial evidence of fraud was uncovered by the committee. Cases have been filed in court against several Wildlife Department officials for allegedly tampering with the elephant register and others who kept elephants illegally, he said.
The Sunday Times published the contents of the report last week, raising questions about overstating the value of the elephant in the Customs declaration forms, placing its value at Rs 261 million. The committee in its report said the persons involved in the elephant import transaction had violated customs and foreign exchange regulations and were liable for criminal prosecution and that even belatedl legal action must be perused against them.
The committee also recommended that action be taken against other government officials who might have been involved in the transaction and steps be taken to recover the money lost to the state. The one-man committee probe conducted by retired Supreme Court Justice Nimal Edward Dissanayake was appointed by Wildlife Minister Jayawickrema Perera in 2015 to report on the allegations of corruption that had taken place in the registration and issuing of licences for elephants and permits under CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora).