SETTLEMENT OF A FRAUD COLOMBO HILTON HOTEL CONSTRUCTION

About the Book

This Book contains shocking revelations, on how third world developing countries become subservient to economically powerful giants, even having to cover-up major frauds perpetrated on sovereign States and its impoverished people. Author discovers fraud in the construction of Colombo Hilton Hotel, by Japanese companies, Mitsui & Co. Ltd., Taisei Corporation, and Architects, Kanko Kikaku Sekkeisha Yozo Shibata & Associates, with technical assistance from Hilton International USA. Author successfully establishes a strong case of fraud before the highest judiciary, with Japanese unable to answer Interrogatories ordered by Court. Attorney Generals and Secretaries of Finance, at the behest of successive Presidents of the country, require such fraud to be settled, without prosecution. Consequently Author insists and obtains write-offs of US $ 207 million in June 1995 on fraudulent claims of the Japanese on State Guarantees. Author persists on several conditions, which the Government agrees, including an undertaking by the State to take legal action against Members of Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC) for dereliction of duties on inaction on such fraud in a public company, notwithstanding Author’s complaints. This condition affected Justice Minister, subsequently Minister of External Affairs, as a former SEC Member, resulting in him precipitating perverse controversies, causing colossal loss to the company and the State, frustrating the settlement, resulting in the Author suing him, and a courageous Justice ruling in Author’s favour in striking-out the Answer of his own Minister, for duplicitous stances; the courageous Justice later being gunned down by a drug cartel. Author in his crusade, risking his life, to combat corruption at highest echelons of society, faces malicious capricious actions, with vexatious litigations, resulting in him applying to Court to wind-up the company, and the Government arbitrarily unilaterally enacting law to acquire the company !

About the Author

Nihal Sri Ameresekere, F.C.A. (Sri Lanka), F.C.M.A. (United Kingdom), C.M.A. (Australia), C.F.E. (United States), is a Member, International Consortium on Governmental Financial Management and a Member, International Association of Anti-Corruption Authorities. Former Advisor, Ministry of Finance and Chairman, Public Enterprise Reforms Commission Sri Lanka. Has functioned as Senior Consultant on World Bank and USAID funded public sector economic reform projects. A multi-disciplinary professional, exposed to private and public sectors, and a public interest activist, with wide international exposure. Not a legal professional, yet has appeared in person before the Supreme Court, successfully advocating public interest litigations. He is a forensic accounting investigative specialist. Has dispassionately spoken out on matters of national and public interest. Ardently upholds the sacred precept, that public property is solely of the people, and managed in fiduciary trust by governments; transgression of which he has committedly combated.

Has published exposés into transactions carried out, under the aegis of IMF, World Bank and ADB privatization agenda, incisively analyzing real case studies, exposing the shockingly dubious manner, in which privatizations have been perpetrated by the highest levels, disclosing the alarming indifference of international developmental agencies, completely eroding public confidence, crucial for meaningful privatization, to foster a free economy, characteristic with transparency.

He emphasizes that ‘economic terrorism’ germinates ‘armed terrorism’, resulting in violation of human rights. ‘Concerns of humanity, transcends interests of nationality’, he propounds; and that poverty alleviation schemes merely replace, at the cost of the poor, their own resources pillaged and plundered by socio-politically influential. Politicians vigorously campaign on election platforms, vociferously decrying fraud and corruption, vowing stringent action thereon. However, upon assuming office of government, get bogged down in the very quagmire of fraud and corruption, invariably peddled by powerful multinationals – as lucidly demonstrated through a series of other publications on his real life experiences thereon.