After seventy-four years of democratic Governments, within the framework of democracy, Sri Lanka has today declared bankruptcy, or on the verge of it, due to the lack of much-needed dollars to pay back debts to International Organisations up to US 55 billion dollars. Global Organisations investigations reveal that out of the US$ 55 billion loans, Sri Lanka heads the list by fleecing 30 billion out of Sri Lanka.
“We are not concerned about any person or Governments, which are responsible for such deeds,” says Chanaka Senanayake (One Country Law Organisation) in a YouTube video, which is going viral internationally. Unfortunately, this video is not available anymore!
In his opinion, ‘there is a mechanism to get those dollars back to the country.’ The process is twofold. The United Nations and World Bank established an Institution in 2004 and named it ‘STAR’ (State Stolen Assets Recovery) in 2007. It was established under a special ‘Geneva Convention against Corruption.’ Since the establishment of this convention, ‘STAR’ has recovered illegal monies lying in foreign bank accounts in up to 259 countries so far.
Chanaka Senanayake requests the public and the Sri Lankan media (to question all 225 Parliamentarians -including the Opposition) what they have done so far about it? Instead of making groans about it, whether they had even heard the name ‘STAR’ so far? It all came out because of Chanaka Senanayake after speaking to STAR officials.
Chanaka Senanayake relates an interesting story about the President of Guatemala (a military General) who received 67% of the vote base in the General Election. He plundered wealth up to the tune of billions of dollars using his brother’s and his friend’s names (from the time of Marcos in power in Phililliphines). According to his story, the President of Guatemala made use of imports of food items (especially sugar) and while the stocks were in the Guatemala Harbour, he reduced taxes so that his brothers, relations’ and importers benefitted.
Guatemala
The Opposition made a hue and cry constantly about the President’s corruption techniques but he simply brushed them under the carpet calling such accusations complete fabrications. Every time accusations erupted the President blamed his relations and importers rather than accepting himself. In the end, one young female suggested that to hold a calm protest surrounding his official residence. She requested one hundred people who sympathised with her to attend the protest, but to her amazement eleven thousand people gathered. The protesters were yelling that ‘he was a fraud.’ Furthermore he fired the Deputy President and various Ministers in his Cabinet. Meanwhile, the United Nations intervened and proved that he was guilty of transferring a huge sum of foreign currency to other safe havens. This was when the President of Guatemala had to resign.
The recent ‘Aragalaya’ in Sri Lanka was akin to the non-partisan development in Guatemala, However criminals managed to intermingle with the protesters, entered the Presidential House, Presidential Secretariat and the Prime Minister’s (Residence – Temple Trees) and started looting and caused millions worth of damages to the properties. On May 9 Sri Lankan hooligans threw petrol bombs at many Government Ministers’ houses, including Ranil Wickremesinghe’s house and caused incendiarism. Lots of other buildings and vehicles were torched; some were seen carrying TV sets from the Presidential House.
Concerning the Sri Lankan struggle, unlike in Guatemala, the missing link was the absence of the United Nations appearance on the scene. To fill such a vacuum ‘saviour’ Chanaka Senanayake appeared on the scene to reveal what action could be taken by STAR.
He had done adequate groundwork to prepare for the looted money back to Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka does not have to pay a single dollar or cent to get back the windled money. Today, it is very sad to see people suffering to the hilt with soaring food prices and the hospitals do not have adequate drugs to treat patients.
Chanaka Senanayake says there are two procedures to follow to invite STAR to intervene and help to get plundered sums back to the Treasury. The first step is by a new Government (All Party Government making a request), and secondly through the Civil Organisations or the Media appealing to STAR to make an early start.
Chanaka Senanayake says he has already written to the United Nations, the World Bank and the UN Dock on the premise that he would get one million signatures for the petition to recover the cheated money. He started collecting signatures from the Viharamahadevi Park at the beginning. What he says is sooner he gets one million signatures to be sent to STAR the process could enter the fast track and Sri Lanka could get US30 million dollars to Government coffers step by step as STAR finished its investigations.
He states that anyone may escape from Sri Lanka, but STAR will be able to find him wherever they are, and refund the ‘plundered’ money to the benefit of the Sri Lankans. He warns that it might not be a quick action as STAR needs to find where the hoarded monies lie, and therefore, it might take months until all the probes are completed but the main consolation is that Chanaka Senanayake has laid the foundation to recover the plundered money! It would be interesting to note whose names are there on STAR’s list of swindlers.
STAR’s fundamental policy is to get the robbed money by rulers or officials in any Government. Therefore, Chanaka opines: ‘Why should we maintain noiseless about it any further? Many associations work on such deceitful draining of money that belongs to people in many nations. At this very moment, he says we need dollars as our children are starving without any milk powder and the entire society is suffering immensely without petrol, and soaring consumer prices. He adds that ‘if we can get back at least fifteen billion out of the thirty billion defrauded from Sri Lanka, then we would be in an advanced position to arrange Sri Lankan affairs systematically.
Out of the Asian countries that have sought the assistance of STAR were Malaysia and Pakistan. According to world statistics, the highest number of dollars that were swindled was 1.2 million , thus Sri Lanka comes up on top of the list of swindled money totalling 30 billion. Senanayake says it is a national crime when people are starving and suffering incalculably. Therefore, Senanayake says to come forward and sign the petition as quickly as possible to get the money back to the Sri Lankan treasury.
One million signatures
Chanaka Senanayake says Sri Lanka has intentions to get further loans from the IMF and the World Bank, but he has not asked them not to grant loans because it might be a wicked inhumane crime. But before granting any loans to Sri Lanka, he has requested the IMF and World Bank to include conditions so that no one will be able to swindle loaned monies. The UN has its inbuilt frame of such legalities.
Further, Senanayake says he has already invited the Law Society in Sri Lanka to arrange the legal framework and the Law Society has agreed to his request. He states that protests alone are not adequate, but there should be some effective means so that the swindlers will get worried when they realise that they are going to lose their billions. Therefore, Senanayke urges the public to help him to get one million signatures. One missing link in his appeal was that he did not make the petition online or give an email address or a telephone number to contact his association. It would have helped to fill well over a million signatures as the general public with their suffering is fed up with their teeth!
Chanaka Senanayake further states legal monies could be deposited in banks in the British Virgin Islands, Panama Papers or any other off-shore bank account as far as they are legally earned money according to each country’s existing regulations but certainly not the black or stolen money.
Picture credit: Daily News
