The Attorney General told the High Court-at- Bar yesterday that the prosecution expects to proceed with the first Central Bank bond scam of February 2015 without the former Central Bank Governor Arjun Mahendran present ncourt. This may be the alternative if it is not possible to bring him down under the extradition laws.
Additional Solicitor General Priyantha Nawanaappearing for the Attorney General, informed the Permanent Trial-at-Bar that Attorney General’s department had already dispatched documents to the Singapore Attorney General regarding Arjun Mahendran’s extradition.
In reply to a query made by High Court Judge Champa Janaki Rajaratna, ASG Nawana said the prosecution would request to hear the case without Arjun Mahendran if there are no positive results in respect of his extradition.
Accordingly, the case against former Central Bank Governor Arjun Mahendran and nine others in connection with the first Central Bank bond scam was postponed for September 22 by the Permanent Trial-at-Bar bench comprising High Court Judges Champa Janaki Rajaratnaand Namal Balalle.
The Permanent Trial-at-Bar bench has already issued a warrant written in English through Interpol for the arrest of former Central Bank Governor Arjun Mahendran, currently evading courts by residing overseas, in connection with the Central Bank bond scam case.
Indictments have been filed, in this case against former Central Bank Governor ArjunaMahendran, former Bank Deputy Governor P. Samarasiri, Perpetual Treasuries Limited (PTL), the PTL beneficiary owner Arjun Joseph Aloysius, PTL Chief Dealer Kasun Palisena, Chairman of Perpetual Treasuries Limited Jeffrey Joseph Aloysius, PTL directors PushyaMithra Gunawardena, Chitta Ranjan Hulugalle, Muthuraja Surendran and Ajahn GardiyaPunchihewa.
According to the indictments, all ten accused have been charged with conspiracy to commit criminal misappropriation in respect of treasury bonds to the face value of Rs.10.058 billion and Mahendran and Samarasiri, charged with criminal breach of trust, in respect of Treasury Bonds to the face value of Rs. 10.058 billion resulting in a loss to the government of Rs. 688.76 million.
Former Deputy Governor P. Samarasiri is accused of abetting the former Central Bank governor Arjuna Mahendran to commit a criminal breach of trust in respect of Treasury Bonds. The PTL is accused of insider dealing and criminal misappropriation in respect of Treasury Bonds to the face value of Rs 5 billion. Mahendran, Samarasiri, Aloysius, Palisena and the director board of PTL are accused of abetting PTL to commit insider dealing and criminal misappropriation.
The Charges are presented under the Public Property Act and Registered Stocks and Securities Ordinance. The Attorney General has named 115 individuals as prosecution witnesses and further listed 236 documents as production items. The supporting evidence in the form of court productions is understood to be a number over 1 million pages of documents.
