Another multi billion rupee scandal of unregistered company functioning as an education centre has been unfolded following the complaint made to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) by the Financial Investigation Unit of the Central Bank recently.
Officials of this company Athens International Education Centre located on Nawala Road, Kotte have convinced around 500 wealthy individuals to invest in phony business schemes and allegedly swindled over Rs, 3 billion out of them,
Details of the scam came to light when the Case was taken up for hearing at Colombo Fort Magistrates Court on Tusday16.
Colombo Fort Magistrate Thilina Gamage issued orders to remand coordinating officer of the company Dilum Kumara and an accounts clerk Medani Tharanga for allegations of money swindling until November 30.
The CID ha informed the court that investigations are continuing to find out as to what has happened to billions of rupees taken as investments by the suspects.
It has launched an investigation into the company dealings on complaints received from various parties, and then arrested the two suspects, who were produced before Court On Tuesday.
Another suspect named Sahan Akalanka a resident of Pollonnaruwa , who is said to be the owner of Athens International Education Centre, has been cited as the first accused of the case.
He is still absconding, CID informed court adding that they are currently carrying out investigations to apprehend the suspect.
According to the CID, the company had acquired money from around 500 individuals.
The attorneys who appeared for the aggrieved party also informed the court that the suspects had defrauded money in this manner without obtaining registration from the Central Bank of Sri Lanka, and that the second suspect named Tharanga had purchased a house for Rs. 15.5 million.
Taking into account the explanations made by the CID and the attorneys who represented the aggrieved party, Magistrate Gamage rejected the bail request made by the suspects, and ordered that they be remanded until 30 November.
