Lalith who reached the apex in the Administrative Service ... behind bars, sentenced to rigorous imprisonment!

Lalith who reached the apex in the Administrative Service ... behind bars, sentenced to rigorous imprisonment!

Being the Secretary of the President of course is a task burdened with so much responsibilities. Someone attached to government administrative service could claim such a position only if the person is highly competent in that respect. Lalith Weeratunga who was a senior administrative officer with distinguished capabilities was today subjected to a punishment of 3 years rigorous imprisonment.

It is a tradition in Sri Lanka to say "Yes" to politicians all the while knowing that what is being done

is wrong. He too appears to have become a prey to such an incident. Mr. Weeratunga who was born in 1950 is now 67 years old. He has had his primary education at Matara Rahula College and subsequently his secondary education at Colombo Royal College. He had secured a degree in Natural Sciences and a Master's Degree at the same university in Business Administration after which he proceeded to continue his post-graduate studies at Pennysilvania State University.

It was as a Deputy Government Agent that he entered the Sri Lanka Administrative Service in January 1877. Later on he held several positions in the government such as in the Sports Ministry , Education Ministry and the National Apprenticeship Board as the Senior Assistant Secretary, Additional Secretary and Chairman. He functioned as the Secretary of the Prime Minister when former President Mahinda Rajapaksa became Prime Minister in 2004. Subsequently, he carried on his duties as President's Secretary from November 2005 when Mahinda assumed Presidentship till 2015 when Mahinda lost his position.

He has been functioning in consultory positions at Postgraduate Institute of Management (PIM), Information and Communication Technology Association (ICTA), Pacific International Labour Organisation and International Labour Organisation. At the time Mahinda was weilding power he acted as the Chairman of Information Technology of the Pacific Economic and Social Commission as well as the Chairman of both the President's Task Force and the National Administrative Reforms Council. He operated as the Chairman of the Sri Lanka Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (TRC) for a long period of time and during his tenure of service there he was selected as the Chairman of the Commonwealth Telecommunication Association at the 50th session held in September 2010.

Mr. Weeratunga who held the position of the President's Secretary all throughout the previous government was someone who was in other words the right hand of Mahinda. When information started streaming in that funds of various institutions were being diverted for Mahinda's election campaign, the name of one such institution, TRC came to light providing evidence that a sum of Rs. 600 million to distribute 'sil' cloth was sanctioned with Mr. Weeratunga's signature. Thus he was found guilty for that particular offence. Anusha Pelpita who functioned under him as Director General of that institution too was guilty of this offence. Given below is a part of a speech rendered by Mr. Weeratunga in 2014.