Sri Lanka’s former ambassador to the United States is due to be indicted over money laundering charges, reports the Sunday Times.
Jaliya Wickramasuriya, who served as Sri Lanka’s ambassador in Washington from July 2008 to May 2014, is wanted by Sri Lanka’s Financial Crimes Investigation Division (FCID) over the alleged misuse of government spending. It is alleged that there were irregularities in the purchase of a building to house the Sri Lankan in Washington DC. He is also accused of accepting a US$ 332,000 “commission” during his tenure as ambassador, a transaction that US officials also spoke to him about.
“There is a move based on a probe by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and approved by a grand jury to indict Jaliya Wickramasuriya,” said a source quoted by the Sunday Times.
The former ambassador had previously claimed that as he is being held in the United States, he is unable to travel to Sri Lanka. He also claimed that US authorities questioned him on war crimes committed by Sri Lankan troops during the island’s armed conflict.
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