US Department Of Justice to indict Jaliya Wickremesuriya for money laundering

COLOMBO (News 1^st) - The Sunday Times, quoting an authoritative source reports that the US Department of Justice is moving to indict former Sri Lankan Ambassador Jaliya Wickremesuriya on money laundering charges. The Sunday Times notes, there is a movie based on a probe by the Federal Bureau of Investigation or FBI and approved by a grand jury to indict Jaliya Wickramasuriya. The newspaper adds that Diplomatic immunity granted to Jaliya Wickramasuriya during his tenure as Sri Lanka’s Ambassador in Washington was waived by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, clearing the path for the indictment. Wickramasuriya has filed a writ petition in Sri Lanka’s Court of Appeal challenging the removal of immunity, but it was dismissed on March 29 this year. He has now filed a Fundamental Rights petition before the Supreme Court on the same issue. There is also an open warrant for Jaliya Wickramasuriya’s arrest. It was issued by the Colombo Fort Magistrate after he failed to appear in court. The Financial Crimes Investigation Division in its ‘B’ Report (B 21/2016) submitted to the Fort Magistrate says the Diplomat pocketed US$ 322,027.35 out of a sum of US $ 6.6 million allocated to purchase a building in the USA. Wickramasuriya was residing in the US and engaging in the business of Tea Export, at the time he was appointed as the Consular General to the Sri Lankan mission in Los Angeles in 2008 and held the position till 2014