Police Spokesman Ajith Rohana said today a Court Order was obtained from the Colombo Magistrate’s Court to check all accounts held by Colombo District United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) MP Duminda Silva at several banks and financial institutions.
The Court Order was based on a statement made by narcotics kingpin ‘Wele Suda’ and included the checking of accounts held by two others as well.
“The accounts belonging to Duminda Silva, Wele Suda and his wife held at 82 banks and financial institutions will be probed. During interrogations by the CID, Wele Suda revealed that he doled out money obtained from drug trafficking to Mr. Silva,” SSP Rohana told a news conference today.
He said Wele Suda is reported to have gone under two other names and as such the police would also check whether accounts were maintained under these two names as well.
The SSP said the Central Bank’s Financial Investigation Unit would assist the police in investigating the suspects’ foreign accounts especially those in Pakistan and Dubai.
He said since 2012 Wela Suda was believed to have smuggled into the country about a 1,000 kilos of heroin worth some eight to 10 million rupees a kilo.
“The fate which had befallen this massive amount of money obtained from drug trafficking was uncertain. Wele Suda revealed that he paid money to Mr. Silva so as to continue his smuggling unhampered. He also alleged that Lalitha Kaushaluya, who was killed in Athurugiriya had paid money to the MP. The police found an Allion Toyota Car near a house at Madiwela bought by Wele Suda from drug trafficking,” SSP Rohana said.
He said investigations will be launched against Wele Suda on charges of money laundering and terrorist connections.
(Sanath Desmond)
Video by Sanath Desmond
Pix by Pradeep Pathirana