CID To Probe Tiran's Revelation On Money Deal Linked To LTTE Influenced Election Boycott

The Criminal Investigations Department (CID) is to commence an investigation on Parliamentarian Tiran Alles and the alleged transaction with the LTTE which led to an presidential election boycott in the North in November, 2005.

Alles made a public revelation in 2010 saying Basil Rajapaksa personally handed over, at his office, Rs. 180 million to the then LTTE financial controller Emil Kanthan to ensure that the people of the north refrained from voting at the 2005 presidential election. Alles added that the deal took place at the request of the then presidential candidate Mahinda Rajapaksa.

Following a request by the then Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa to introduce him to a person capable of doing a deal with the LTTE, Allaes said he had introduced Emil Kanthan to Basil Rajapaksa. The meetig between Rajapaksa and Emil Kanthan, according to the Parliamentarian, was held at Alles’s office.

After consulting the LTTE leadership, Emil Kanthan had come back and said the outfit wanted Rs. 180 million to buy boats. Basil Rajapaksa said they only wanted the LTTE to get the people of the north to boycott the presidential polls.

He said he had revealed all these in his statement to the TID in 2007 subsequent to his arrest by them, and as a result the Attorney General had withdrawn all charges against him. Alles also said he had informed president Rajapaksa on February 14, 2007 about all these through a sworn affidavit signed by Ven. Uduwe Dhammaloka Thera who supports the president.