Fmr. senior SriLankan Airlines official to be arrested

COLOMBO (News 1st) - The Sunday Times reported on Sunday (August 19) that attempts are being made to arrest a former senior official at Sri Lankan Airlines, who served during the tenure of the previous government. Trade Unions at the airline say that both officials from the former and current regimes who are responsible for acts of fraud and corruption must be held accountable by the law. The Sunday Times reported that the FCID is investigating the onetime senior SriLankan Airlines Official for amassing foreign currency to the tune of nearly Rs. 10 million in a foreign bank account. The newspaper reports that the investigation is nearing it's conclusion. The report claims that the top official in question had favored a single party in several business transactions and that he had received kickbacks from these parties in the form of foreign currency handouts. Quoting sources aware of the transactions, the Sunday Times reported that the official concerned is to be taken into custody and produced in court. The newspaper also reported that this investigation is independent of the probe the Commission of Inquiry is now conducting into alleged malpractices at SriLankan Airlines, Sri Lankan Catering and Mihin Lanka.