From: Uvindu Kurukulasuriya <uvinduk@gmail.com>

Date: Fri, May 29, 2009 at 5:21 PM
Subject: Re:Press Realees-

Dear All,

This is to thank everyone who worked to unmask the corrupt FMM office-bearers but there is, at least, one corrupt member left in the FMM committee. You shouldn't let those responsible for such corruptions to be admitted to the FMM executive committee and it has to be fully cleansed.

It's very strange and unacceptable that other media union secretaries (Poddala Jayantha, Secretary, SLWJA and Dharmasiri Lankapeli, FMETU) sign FMM nominations with Sunanda Deshapriya's name. This is the first time in the FMM history that such an act has been perpetrated. Why has it happened?

In my opinion and experience, both organisations (including the International Federations of Journalists), at least their main office-bearers, are responsible for FMM corruption. For example, Jacquline Park IFJ Asia Pacific Director and Sunanda Deshapriya had asked Manjula Wediwardane and Athula Withanage to get two receipts from the hotels after the workshops. Although I was not the convener at the time, I stopped that. In the PSJ prize programme Jacquline Park from IFJ had repeatedly begged me not to use the word “corruption”, and suggested the use of the word “mismanagement”, which I turned down.

SLWJA and FMETU used the FMM account for corrupt deals. That's why they did this. They want to cover up the scandal. I have all the documents and even secret correspondence regarding the IFJ. I'll submit them all to the independent committee after it is stabilised.

I welcome this audit report and am happy that my allegations were confirmed but there are lots of items that auditors have not been able to uncover. For example, two books were printed for the prize programme. I checked with the two printers and found a difference of Rs 150,000 in the receipts. I stopped the payment of the balance money. I don't know what happened thereafter. I also stopped payment hundreds of the thousands cheques by cancelling them. I asked Fiazal to attach them to the counter-file. You can find them in the cheques.

I had repeatedly fought against this corrupt system and also with the corrupt persons within the organization. What they did after my refusal to sign the cheques was to approach the bank to change the signature requirements justifying their request that it was constitutional to do so. But they didn't do that until I stopped the payments and started asking for the relevant documents. I refused to sign for petty cash twice.

At the end, it came to the public domain and I was accused of giving information to the press about FMM corruption. Who gave the audit report to the media this time? I'm not asking you this question and am not saying it was unethical because it is not an “audit inquiry”. The report itself says it's an “audit report” and the public should know what's happening in the FMM. Foreign money is also public money. We say human rights are global. Robbing foreign funds is also a violation of human rights.

Three minor observations about the audit report

Re 5: 09: 01, only four times came to my house at Battaramulla to get my signature. This is incredible.
Re 5: 38:01, this all LO-TCO project was a corrupt deal with IFJ, SLWJA and FMETU.
IFJ lied about this when I inquired about this and also about the Sunday Leader sending note on a right to reply. I found this money had been given to IFJ for trade union development from a Swedish funding agency. How did that money come to FMM since it is not a trade union. After I began questioning about it the rest of the money was transferred to FMETU. Then Lankapeli had given Rs 398,000 in cash cheque to Poddala Jayantha to do the workshops. It was said SLWJA was doing some strange workshops. I stopped the transfer of Rs 192,150 to the FMETU account.
5:48, I never handled any money and even this particular workshop at Gampaha. It was organized by Dharmasiri Lankapeli who handled the money. Please check whether my signature is there as the receiver.

There was a weird system at a certain period. Ramesh, an accountant whom we hired for 3 months, had installed the latest accounting package in the FMM computer and had trained Fiazal, Sandamalee and Bandara in using the package, But they never fed the data to the computer. He had also advised them to maintain a manual system and had introduced a new voucher format, The forms were deliberately not filled giving various excuses, because they had realized that if they had fed the data to the system they could not have robbed the money from the FMM. I insisted that they follow the accountant's instructions. I told them I did not want to be a PB Jayasundara. What happened later was that the Treasurer, Kasun Yapa issued me a letter to the effect that I could not see or interfere in FMM accounts. I was shocked as I was the Head of FMM, the convener.!!! I informed this to the FMM committee. Now all of us are paying for it!!

FMM is registered as an NGO. When Sunanda wanted to register FMM as an NGO I strongly opposed it with some FMM members like Ranga Sirilal but, later, the FMM committee approved the proposal. Under the new rule FMM has to submit an annual plan, budget and funding every year. I had to fight for it as well. After a long battle, Sunada said he submitted one which I've never seen. Under that rule FMM has to keep at least 4 years of its receipts, vouchers, accounts and audit reports. I asked Roshangan, the Treasurer 2006/2007 and 2007/2008, to hand over the receipts and accounts which he never did. they were not his private property and ask him to hand over to new FMM treasurer and give to the auditors. You will find shocking corruptions there. Actually, I wanted to check them and told Roshangan about this and asked Kasun to get all the documents from him officially, which never happened. That's why I strongly objected to pass the 2007/2008 accounts at the FMM SGM. This auditor also suggested re-auditing the 2007/2008 accounts. They even robbed money from the Anti-corruption Programme!!! FMM signed an anti-corruption programme and ran the corruption watch website on politicians’ corruption. The link was there until Sunanda was caught at the CPA for corruption and he had quietly removed the link and now we cannot find it.

And also thanks to everyone for the decision not to get foreign funds. I have refused two huge project proposals: one from Sunanda and another from Free Voice. I refused to sign the contract even after everything was finalized and terminated the Internews project as well. My basic point was FMM shouldn't run large-scale projects since we were a small activist group. And we created SLPI for doing all those things. I have lots of email correspondence with Sunanda and the committee about this.

I heard from someone that Choola had said at the AGM “ Uvindu, the one who raised the corruption issue and was fighting for this, also left the country with the FMM mobile.” It is said, I informed the about the mobile over the phone after I left the country to Buddika and Choola. Now I'm safe, I can say this now. All our former colleagues know I escaped from an attempt to murder me on the second day after Lasantha died on my way to Sonalie's house and my home. After that I got five threatening calls from private numbers even on the SGM day. All my trusted friends asked me to log a complaint at the police station. I did not do that because I cannot trust the Police. Further, a few months ago, I openly requested the IGP to resign which was given a big coverage by the TV and the Radio, and also the Police spokesperson singled me out in his speech. http://www.ifex.org/en/content/view/full/96225 But those numbers are still in that phone and a private detective has been investigating this affair. Need to know who they were, whether the military, a sector of the government or our Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves?

You may not know that many people asked me to leave the country, including the International Media support organizations even before Lasantha was killed, but I repeatedly refused and later agreed after I received continuous threats. I had to hide the last two days before I left the country. Please note that I was granted “Indefinite Leave to Remain” in UK in 2001 and after Chandrika sacked Sanath Gunathilaka I retuned. I could have lived in the UK for any length of time beginning then. So don't talk that much about a mobile phone.

I'm now investigating another large-scale corruption called “Conflict Sensitive Reporting Programme” which Sunada Deshapriya conducted with IFJ and FMM in 2004. The money was not in the FMM accounts. I informed this to the FMM committee in the presence of Sunanda but nobody listened to me. My book may come soon on “corruption within journalism”. Once again, thanks everyone for cleaning the FMM for future generations. I'm with you.

Best!
Uvindu Kurukulasuriya,
28/05/09

__________________________-

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Sunanda Deshapriya <sunandadeshapriya@gmail.com>
Date: May 27, 2009 9:10 PM
Subject: RE: Press Realees-

Dear All,

I agree with interim committee continuing for another year if that was
the decision of AGM. . But press release issued on 27th May says new
office bearers were appointed;

How come new committee was appointed when below e mail from form FMM
says other wise. I think FMM should explain why, how and on which
constitution clause those nominations were annulled and new committee/
office bearers appointed.

According to the FMM constitution nominations cannot be canceled.

I would like an explanation form new office bearers.

Sunanda