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A Sri Lankan businessman and a former Australian banker have been charged recently on 24 counts of theft of approximately 1131 million Sri Lankan Rupees, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) said.

Sri Lankan Cedric Asitha Anthony, living in Beaumaris, Victoria is the chairman of the AustAsia Group of Companies, which has its branches in Australia, New Zealand, China, the United Arab Emirates and Sri Lanka.

Mr. Anthony worked closely with the Australian Indoor Cricket Federation and the Sri Lankan government in 2001 to build and establish the first indoor cricket centre at Talawatugoda.

Austasia Sports Complex, a BoI approved company was the first to introduce indoor cricket to Sri Lanka and served as the first ever international standard indoor sports and leisure complex in Sri Lanka.

Additionally, Mr. Anthony was the founder of the nutritional product promoting company WelSports distributors, and was overall responsible for its management.

A former ANZ Bank employee in Australia, Stephen Craig Jenvey of Mooroolbark, Victoria and Anthony were each charged with a multi-million dollar fraud following an investigation by ASIC into unauthorised customer loans.

In a statement ASIC said it had received notification from the ANZ Bank regarding a number of unauthorised and undocumented loans to South Yarra Clothing Company and AustAsia Clothing Pty Ltd between June 2004 and March 2005.

At the time of the granting of these loans, Anthony was an ANZ customer and a director of AustAsia Clothing Pty Ltd, the statement added.

ASIC alleges Jenvey misappropriated in excess of Australian $ 9.3 million and US $ 3.9 million for the benefit of Mr. Anthony and/or AustAsia Clothing Pty. Ltd. ASIC further states that Anthony offered Jenvey money and other valuable considerations by corrupt means, which Jenvey deceitfully received.

In the context of law; ‘valuable consideration’ means a certain trade-off by means of money, materials or performance quantifiable in terms of money, the ASIC statement said.

Jenvey and Anthony are scheduled to appear in the Melbourne Magistrate’s Court on August 16. The case will be handled by the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions.

However, Mr. Dakshitha Anthony, brother of Cedric Anthony denied any knowledge of the alleged multi-million dollar fraud.

He told The Sunday Times that his brother Cedric Anthony is currently in Australia and does not hold the position of Chairman of Austasia Sports Complex.

“I am the Chairman of Austasia Sports and Leisure Club and holder of the majority of shares. My brother holds only 10 percent of the shares. His entrepreneurship is mainly in Australia,” he said.