News
Over one-billion-rupee loss from Harin’s Google Loon project alone
COPE finds ICTA a drain on public purse
By Saman Indrajith
An investigation conducted by the COPE (Committee on Public Enterprises) has revealed that the Information and Communication Technology Agency of Sri Lanka (Pvt) Ltd (ICTA) drained public funds running into billions on failed projects.
The COPE inquiry on Tuesday found that the e-Pension Project initiated by the ICTA at a cost of Rs 278.54 million had come a cropper.
The ICTA was entrusted with the responsibility of procuring the hardware and software for the project using government funding to provide pension online to the pensioners of the Western Province, covering the District Secretariat, the Armed Forces, the Department of Prisons, the Department of Railways and the Department of Civil Defence. However, given various software and hardware issues, the project was not implemented countrywide and abandoned on Nov 1, 2013 causing a loss of Rs 278.54 million.
Parliament sources said that the COPE investigation had found that the Google Loon Project intiated by Harin Fernando was also among the listed projects of ICTA. Although the Google Loon project to provide Internet access countrywide had not been executed, the ICTA had suffered over one-billion-rupee loss on the project. Rs. 1,851,322 had been spent to get the Google Loon equipment released from the customs, the COPE inquiry has revealed Another Rs. 6,427,941 was spent on project promotions.
The COPE investigation chaired by Prof. Charitha Herath was attended by Minister Mahinda Amaraweera, State Ministers Susil Premajayantha, Indika Anuruddha and MPs Eran Wickramaratne, Jagath Pushpakumara, Premnath C. Dolawatta, S.M. Marikkar, Patali Champika Ranawaka and Shanakiya Rasamanickam.
It was also found that Rs. 850.47 million had been approved and Rs. 148.33 million spent on another failed project titled Lanka Government Network (LGN) launched by ICTA under the yahapalana government.
The LGN launched to enhance efficiency of the public service by bringing all state institutions under one umbrella network had also failed, sources said.
MP Patali Champika Ranawaka pointed out that the ICTA amidst the failure after failure continued to launch more than 500 other similar projects adding to the losses.
It was also revealed that the Rs. 32.5 mn spent on the procurement of the project by the National Intellectual Property Office under the name ‘e-NIPO’ had been utilised by the ICTA to pay salaries of its officials.
It was disclosed that a previously failed project called ‘e-Local Authorities’ had been re-launched in 2016. The investigation revealed that Rs. 39 million had been spent as at Dec 31, 2017, but that amount had not been included in the performance reports.
COPE Chairman Prof. Herath pointed out that ICTA 2017 corporate plan had cost Rs. 2,737,000, but been discarded later.
Prof. Hearth directed ICTA senior officials to conduct their own investigation from 2003 to 2019 with regard to the issue of corporate plans and report back to the COPE. He had also instructed the officials to initiate legal action against those responsible for the losses, Parliament sources said.
News
Karu argues against scrapping MPs’ pension as many less fortunate members entered Parliament after ’56
Former Speaker of Parliament Karu Jayasuriya has written to President Anura Kumara Dissanayake expressing concerns over the proposed abolition of MPs’ pensions.The letter was sent in his capacity as Patron of the Former Parliamentarians’ Caucus.
In his letter, Jayasuriya noted that at the time of Sri Lanka’s independence, political participation was largely limited to an educated, affluent land-owning elite. However, he said a significant social transformation took place after 1956, enabling ordinary citizens to enter politics.
He warned that under current conditions, removing parliamentary pensions would effectively confine politics to the wealthy, business interests, individuals engaged in illicit income-generating activities, and well-funded political parties. Such a move, he said, would discourage honest social workers and individuals of modest means from entering public life.
Jayasuriya also pointed out that while a small number of former MPs, including himself, use their pensions for social and charitable purposes, the majority rely on the pension as a primary source of income.
He urged the President to give due consideration to the matter and take appropriate action, particularly as the government prepares to draft a new constitution.The Bill seeking to abolish pensions for Members of Parliament was presented to Parliament on 07 January by Minister of Justice and National Integration Dr. Harshana Nanayakkara.
Five suspects, including former Minister Johnston Fernando and his two sons, who were arrested by the Financial Crimes Investigation Division (FCID), were further remanded until 30 January by the Wattala Magistrate’s Court yesterday.
The former Minister’s , sons Johan Fernando and Jerome Kenneth Fernando, and two others, were arrested in connection with the alleged misuse of a Sathosa vehicle during Fernando’s tenure as Minister.
Investigations are currently underway into the alleged misuse of state property, including a lorry belonging to Lanka Sathosa, which reportedly caused a significant financial loss to the state.
In connection with the same incident, Indika Ratnamalala, who served as the Transport Manager of Sathosa during
Fernando’s tenure as Minister of Co-operatives and Internal Trade, was arrested on 04 January.
After being produced before the Wattala Magistrate’s Court, he was ordered to be remanded in custody until 09 January.The former Sathosa Transport Manager was remanded on charges of falsifying documents.
The Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) yesterday informed the Colombo Magistrate’s Court that indictments had been filed in the Colombo High Court against former Minister and NDF Badulla District MP Chamara Sampath Dassanayake over a corruption allegation.
The Bribery Commission notified the court when the case, in this regard, was taken up yesterday before Colombo Chief Magistrate Asanga S. Bodaragama.
At the hearing, the CIABOC notified the court that indictments had been presented before the Colombo High Court against the accused.
Accordingly, concluding the proceedings before the Magistrate’s Court, the Magistrate ordered MP Dassanayake to appear before the High Court once a notice was issued.
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