The President of the Sri Dalada Jathika Viyaparaya R. S. P. B. Senanayake in a written complaint to the Buddhist Affairs Commissioner has requested him to institute legal action against the Diyawadane Nilame and remove him from his post.
He had said he made this complaint because an investigation made by a committee appointed by the Sustainable Development and Buddhist Affairs Ministry had established that a sum of nearly Rs. 262 million had been transferred to Myanmar as the cost of two tuskers presented to the Maligawa by the Myanmar Government, by showing a false invoice. This amounted to an act of money laundering, he said.
Senanayake addressing a press conference in Kandy, said copies of the complaint had been sent to the President, Prime Minister, Sustainable Development and Wildlife and Buddhist Affairs Minister, Foreign Minister and the Attorney General. He said he had requested them to see whether Maligawa funds had been misused for this transaction.
Senanayake said the Karaka Sangha Sabha of the Malwatte and Asgiriya Chapters headed by the two Mahanayake theras had the responsibility to look into this complaint. If the money did not belong to the Maligawa, the Diyawadane Nilame should disclose as to whose money was spent.
Diyawadane Nilame Pradeep Nilanga Dela when contacted said not even a cent of the Maligawa funds were used for this purpose.
It was a complete distortion of facts to say that a money transaction had taken place, going by the value of the two tuskers gifted mentioned in the transfer papers.