Former Chairman of bankrupt CIFL arrested

August, 12, 2015

Chulaka Gunawardene alias Deepthi Perera, the one-time Chairman and main shareholder of the financially crisis ridden Central Investment & Finance Limited PLC (CIFL) who was out of the island for some time has been arrested by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) after he arrived in Sri Lanka, was produced before courts where the Colombo chief justice ordered him to be remanded till 14 August.

While Deepthi Perera had arrived in Sri Lanka on 10 August, the CID produced him before courts yesterday (11 August).

The main allegations over the Central Investment & Finance Limited PLC with its over 7,000 depositors going bankrupt has been leveled against its one-time Chairman and main shareholder Deepthi Perera.

While there are allegations that financial irregularities had taken place under his tenure as Chairman, he had also sold his shares with CIFL’s holding company ASPIC to another party for Rs. 600 million.

Though the company informed the Colombo Stock Exchange that this new party would invest USD 12 million in 2013, no such investments had been made.

While Interpol too had issued a Red Notice for Deepthi Perere’s arrest, he had been in Thailand after leaving Sri Lanka.