Investigate Possible Corruption and Collusion - Part 2 - Senehasa Special School Irregularity

We have seen those who promised to end corruption end up as corrupt. It is up to a competent court to convict a wrongdoer and it is not the intention of this series of articles to call anyone corrupt and make decisions. Instead what is intended is to shed some light based on third party generated, non-political evidence, widely available to readers, on possible corruption and collusion in military purchases. This evidence is not the creation of any interested party trying to defame anyone. In fact it has been created in most instances by the actors themselves! That means the accuracy, objectivity and relevance of these pieces of evidence remain very high. Same goes for third party evidence. Readers are free to do their own investigations into these independent sources. Newspapers may be burnt, media men may be killed, they can be assaulted and intimidated, they can be silenced, they can be given false news; but internet based evidence cannot be so easily erased.

Soliciting donations from suppliers is not considered good practice even for a customer of that supplier. In the case of suppliers of the Ministry of Defence or the Sri Lanka Army, the customer is either the Ministry of Defence or the Sri Lanka Army. Officers of the Army are not even customers and soliciting donations from the suppliers of the Ministry of Defence or the Sri Lanka Army is a corrupt act in itself. That’s not all. If they beg for donations for their own projects not directly owned by either the Ministry of Defence or the Sri Lanka Army, from suppliers of the Ministry of Defence or the Sri Lanka Army, it is an even lower act of corruption.

The Army Commander has a say in direct purchasing up to a limit. In addition he also holds a high position in Lanka Logistics and Technologies (Pvt) Ltd. Unfortunately Sarath Fonseka had both these privileges and he exploited it for unscrupulous ends.

Senehasa Special School

Senehasa Special School for special needs children is a project pioneered by Sarath Fonseka and Anoma Fonseka while the former was the army commander and when the latter was holding high office in the Army Seva Vanitha Unit (SVU). They approached a Pakistani supplier to the Sri Lanka Army for donations. And they succeeded in getting a donation of a million rupees. Obviously a supplier to Sri Lanka Army would make a donation if he is pre-selected for future business. Otherwise there is absolutely no reason why a Pakistani defence supplier would donate for a charitable project in Sri Lanka.

The following has been quoted from the website.
http://www.senehasa.org/projects.php
"As an initiative taken by Brigadier N.U.M.M.W. Senanayake, the Gulf Maritime Services Pakistan (Pvt) Ltd of Karachchi, donated Rs one million to the Seva Vanitha Army Branch to be utilised for the Senehasa Special School.

The cheque was handed over to Mrs Anoma Fonseka at the presence of the Commander of the Army Lieutenant General Sarath Fonseka by the special representative of the company Mr. Nisal Yousuf Ahmed 20th February 2009at the Army Headquarter. Brigadier N.U.M.M.W. Senanayake and Colonel A.K. Suraweera were also present on the occasion. The representative of the company pledged further support for the project in the future."

Gulf Maritime Services Pakistan (Pvt) Ltd

Established in 1984 as shipping agents and then gradually developed into trade, chartering and transportation projects and defense cargoes. Also logistics and freight forwarding business carried out through sister company."

http://www.tradeboss.com/default.cgi/action/viewcompanies/companyid/301787/

Along with Ceylon Shipping Corporation, Gulf Maritime Services Pakistan (Pvt) Ltd was involved in shipping weapons Sri Lanka army purchased from Pakistan. Canvassing for donations from this defence supplier is hence wrong and must be investigated.