While investigations and allegations have been made in the past regarding various issues related to the family of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, another piece of information regarding Namal Rajapaksa and Yoshida Rajapaksa has now come to light.
This time, the information that has come out is about the foreign containers associated with the ‘Tharunyatath Hetak’ organization which is said to have functioned as an organization for the youth.
Based on the information contained in the book ‘Rajapaksa Samagama’ written by former Ravaya journalist Lasanda Ruhunake, this issue has become a topic of discussion again. The publications indicated that Namal Rajapaksa acted as the President and Yoshida Rajapaksa as Vice President.
Background of Tharunyatath Hetak
Citing the book, information has been released that the organization ‘Tharunyatath Hetak’ was registered under the Companies Act on April 4, 2007, and its registered address was Alari House, the then official residence of the Prime Minister.
It is reported that the activities of the organization were focused on the youth. According to reports, the organization was active in television and various programs especially for the youth.
It is mentioned in the book that Namal Rajapaksa and Yoshida Rajapaksa held important positions in the administration of this organization. Due to this, questions have been raised regarding how the goods were imported from abroad in the name of the organization and how they were brought into the country.
It is also discussed in the book that there may have been a possibility of statutory tax deductions for donations from abroad or goods for social projects. But the important question raised in this matter is that if such goods have been taken out of the port without going through the usual customs procedures, a separate explanation would be required in that regard.
In particular, it has been alleged in the news based on the book that some containers from foreign countries in the name of the organization were cleared from the port without being inspected by the Sri Lankan customs. The full explanation of the parties involved in this allegation is a matter to be looked into separately.
Questions arising on customs procedures
It is a normal procedure for any goods coming into Sri Lanka from abroad to undergo customs procedures at the port. Necessary documents and permits are considered based on factors such as nature of goods, value, usage and tax exemptions offered to them.
It is against this background that the information regarding the containers allegedly coming in the name of ‘Tarunyathatta Headak’ organization has received attention.
According to the information mentioned in the book, news and investigative articles related to this issue were published in Ravaya magazine in January 2010. Current news reports say that articles published on January 17 and January 24 raised questions about how the containers were cleared from the port.
Now the main reason for bringing up the old issue is that these incidents have been re-recorded in the said book.
However, the mere fact that an allegation appears in a book or news report does not mean that the allegation has been proven in a court of law. In particular, allegations related to politically important persons require separate consideration of official investigations, court documents and explanations of the parties involved.
Information available on the current responses of Namal Rajapaksa and Yoshida Rajapaksa in this matter is also worth noting.
Relationship to current legal proceedings
Names of Namal Rajapaksa and Yoshida Rajapaksa have also figured in some other legal and investigative proceedings in recent times. In particular, Namal Rajapaksa has been named as a defendant in the bribery investigation related to the ‘Grish’ bribery, according to a news release on September 28. Allegations of financial misappropriation and bribery are being investigated in that case.
At the same time, the case related to money laundering related to Yoshida Rajapaksa is also going on in the court. According to the chargesheet, around Rs 57 million allegedly illegally obtained in the case were deposited in three bank accounts. According to reports, the pre-trial conference in this case has been postponed to November 3.
In such a situation, the container issue related to the ‘Tarunyathatta Headak’ system, which is said to have taken place several years ago, has again come to the attention of the public.
Official documents such as customs documents, import records, duty exemption permits and port records of the time will be important to confirm what actually happened in this matter.
Also, what are the goods allegedly brought in the containers, what is their value, for what purpose were they imported, whether they were exempted from tax and if so, under which law, are the questions to be clarified.
Current information is mostly based on old incidents and publications recording them. Therefore, it is important to evaluate the relevant evidence and the explanations of the parties involved without treating the allegations as absolute facts until a new official investigation or court decision is issued.
At the same time, as questions are raised again about the economic and administrative activities undertaken by organizations associated with political power in the past, there may also be demands for open consideration of documents from that period. The recent revelations are yet another example of how incidents that allegedly happened years ago are coming back into the public eye.