News
Another Lankan-born turns into a scammer in Australia
A Sri Lankan-born Melbourne financial planner, Terence Rio Rienzo Nugara, accused of pilfering about $10 million from the superannuation funds of vulnerable clients, pleaded guilty in the County Court last month to 37 charges of obtaining a financial advantage by deception and two of theft, Australia’s The Age news agency reported.
On September 26, he pleaded guilty in the County Court to 37 charges of obtaining a financial advantage by deception and two of theft. As a result of his deception, he stole a total of $10,152, 061 from 38 Australian victims.
With his millions, he took off overseas in 2019, living for three years between Mexico, Costa Rica, Panama, Nicaragua, Sri Lanka and Singapore. The money he stole funded an extravagant lifestyle.
“The money went on living expenses, lifestyle choices he made,” his barrister, Mark Sturges, told the court. “The money was spent on things such as his race cars, he was involved in race cars; a helicopter; boats; living expenses. It was offending, as it’s known in the courts, motivated by greed.”
In Mexico, Nugara sought new investors in an online gambling platform, but he was kidnapped in an extortion attempt. He sought help from the Australian embassy, where he learned about the warrant for his arrest.
The court heard he tied up affairs overseas and returned to Australia, to be handcuffed by police at Melbourne Airport last October.
Nugara encouraged investors to convert their superannuation to self-managed super funds, giving them flexibility to invest in his property deals.
Between September 2014 and January 2018, police said, he transferred money from the accounts of 38 victims into his own personal accounts to use for his personal gain.
He is currently incarcerated at the Ravenhall Correctional Centre and has served 336 days of pre-sentence detention. He did not have a previous criminal record.
Melbourne Magistrates’ Court heard in October last year that Terence Rio Rienzo Nugara allegedly used his position as representative of Financial Services Partners to convince friends and clients to transfer him millions of dollars, which he promised to invest in luxury serviced apartments.Nugara is to be sentenced in October.
The government, under heavy Opposition fire over inclusion of a sex website in the Grade 6 English module, as well as overall education reforms, has decided to put on hold reforms in respect of Grade 6.
Cabinet Spokesman and Media and Health Minister Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa announced the government decision yesterday (13) at the post-Cabinet media briefing at the Information Department.
According to him, the decision had been taken at the previous day’s Cabinet meeting, chaired by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake. Dr. Jayatissa said that education reforms pertaining to Garde 6 had been put on hold until 2027.
The Minister said that other proposed education reforms would be implemented as planned. The Minister said that action would be taken against those responsible for the inclusion of a link to a sex website following investigations conducted by the Criminal Investigation Department and the National Education Institute.
The SJB and several other political parties, as well as civil society groups, have accused the government of promoting an LGBTQ agenda, through the proposed education reforms.
The Opposition grouping Mahajana Handa, on Monday, made representations to the Mahanayake Thera of the Malwatta Chapter regarding the controversial reforms, while urging their intervention to halt the project.
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake yesterday (13) vowed to go ahead with his government’s agenda, regardless of the destruction caused by Cyclone Ditwah.
Emphasising the responsibility on the part of all to contribute to the post-Ditwah recovery efforts, President Dissanayake said that he would have complete faith in the public service.
The President said so at the launch of the re-building Sri Lanka project at the BMICH yesterday.
The JVP and NPP leader said that he wouldn’t take advantage of the death and destruction caused by the cyclone or use the situation as an excuse to reverse their agenda or weaken it.
President Dissanayake said that in spite of many calling for amending the then Budget, in view of the cyclone, the government presented the proposals that were agreed before the disaster struck.
The United States has announced that it will provide the Sri Lanka Air Force with 10 US Navy TH-57 helicopters free of charge.
The announcement was made by outgoing US Ambassador Julie Chung, who stated, on social media, that the helicopters would be transferred under the United States’ Excess Defence Articles programme. The aircraft are Bell 206 Sea Ranger helicopters previously operated by the US Navy.
US sources said that the transfer was intended to strengthen Sri Lanka’s disaster response capabilities, following the devastating cyclone that struck the island at the end of 2025 and killed more than 600 people. US officials have framed the move as a humanitarian measure aimed at improving aerial rescue and relief operations.
Fair weather will prevail except for a few showers in the Uva, Eastern, Western and Central provinces and in Galle, Matara and Rathnapura districts
Trump cancels US-Iran meetings, urges protesters to take over institutions
Govt. bows to pressure, shelves Grade 6 reforms
AKD: Govt. agenda on track despite Ditwah disaster
SL to receive 10 helicopters from US
Foreign couple held over alleged biopiracy at Horton Plains
‘Dates have the highest sugar content to fight Coronavirus’
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