Leading journalist too taken for ride by swindler
By Norman Palihawadena
Commenting on the case involving Sakvithi Ranasinghe, who swindled over one thousand people of millions, on the promise of a high interest rates for their investments, through a dubious financial company he was running in Nugegoda, Edwin Ariyadasa, the well known journalist, who had worked at the Sakvithi as head of educational activities lamented that he too had been taken for ride by the racketeer.
Ariyadasa said he was in charge of conducting English classes for senior State sector officials in the military, Police and others and was provided with company transport.
"I was operating from Sakvithi headquarters situated at Nugegoda and was paid a monthly salary of Rs 100,000 and looked after well. However, there had been occasions where my salary was paid in instalments. I was not the least connected to the financial activities of the suspect’s company. At one stage he suggested that we run free English classes and in fact we did so and it was during this time that he vanished from the scene.
Only later did I get to know about his alleged financial swindling of public funds," he said.
Ariyadasa said as far as he knew the suspect did not own a house of his own or any other building and all places he occupied and operated in were either rented out or leased. "I got to know about all these things only after his scandals became public."
He also said that he had used his (Ariyadasa’s) name in advertisements without his permission since ‘Edwin Ariyadasa’ is a well known name among all journalists in Sri Lanka and also has a reputation. Ariyadasa lamented.
He said he had already made a lengthy statement to the Police of everything that he was aware of.
http://www.island.lk/2008/09/25/news7.html



