Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09COLOMBO837
2009-08-26 09:19:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Colombo
Cable title:  

SRI LANKAN FINANCIAL INTELLIGENCE UNIT NOT YET IN

Tags:  CE ECON EFIN PTER 
pdf how-to read a cable
INFO LOG-00 EEB-00 AID-00 AMAD-00 CIAE-00 INL-00 DODE-00 
 DOTE-00 DS-00 DHSE-00 FAAE-00 FBIE-00 VCI-00 FRB-00 
 H-00 TEDE-00 INR-00 IO-00 MOFM-00 MOF-00 VCIE-00 
 NSAE-00 NIMA-00 GIWI-00 SCT-00 DOHS-00 FMPC-00 SSO-00 
 SS-00 NCTC-00 ASDS-00 CBP-00 SCRS-00 DSCC-00 PRM-00 
 DRL-00 SAS-00 FA-00 SEEE-00 SANA-00 /000W

 
P 260919Z AUG 09
FM AMEMBASSY COLOMBO
TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0436
INFO AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD PRIORITY 
AMEMBASSY KATHMANDU PRIORITY 
AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI PRIORITY 
AMCONSUL CHENNAI PRIORITY 
AMCONSUL KARACHI PRIORITY 
AMCONSUL KOLKATA PRIORITY 
AMCONSUL MUMBAI PRIORITY 
DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHDC PRIORITY
DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC PRIORITY
C O N F I D E N T I A L COLOMBO 000837 


E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/26/2019
TAGS: CE ECON EFIN PTER
SUBJECT: SRI LANKAN FINANCIAL INTELLIGENCE UNIT NOT YET IN
A POSITION TO REQUEST USG ASSISTANCE TO TRACK LTTE FUNDS

Classified By: CDA: Rebecca Cohn

C O N F I D E N T I A L COLOMBO 000837


E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/26/2019
TAGS: CE ECON EFIN PTER
SUBJECT: SRI LANKAN FINANCIAL INTELLIGENCE UNIT NOT YET IN
A POSITION TO REQUEST USG ASSISTANCE TO TRACK LTTE FUNDS

Classified By: CDA: Rebecca Cohn


1. (C ) Since the early August arrest of LTTE
leader and financer Kumaran Pathmanathan (KP),the Sri Lankan
military has interrogated KP about the LTTE,s financing
network and overseas assets. Secretary of Defense
Rajapaksa (the President,s brother) publically claimed that
KP,s interrogation has revealed $1 billion in overseas
assets and he called for foreign assistance to recover these
monies. The Sri Lankan Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU)
would be in charge of requesting assistance from foreign FIUs
to uncover the terrorist financing network and recover
overseas assets. However, the Sri Lankan FIU has not
received any information yet from KP,s military
interrogations, so they do not have any outstanding requests
for USG assistance.


2. (C) Econ Cons met with FIU Deputy Director D.K.
Wijesuriya and FIU Senior Assistant Director Sisira
Ranasinghe (the new FIU director was out of the country),and
they both assured him that the FIU is very satisfied with its
cooperation with the United States, but they had no
additional requests at this time. According to Wijesuriya,
KP is being held under a military detention order and he is
still being interrogated by the military intelligence
officers. At some point KP will be transferred to the police
(Wijesuriya did not know when) which is the point at which
the FIU would receive KP,s information on the LTTE financing
network and overseas assets. Tthe FIU then may request
assistance from their counterpart FIUs in other countries.
Econ Cons reiterated that the USG would be pleased to provide
assistance to track LTTE funds. Wijesuriya reported a
strong working relationship with his U.S. Embassy
coounterparts.


3. (C ) Comment. The delay in turning over KP's
information about the LTTE financing network is
disappointing, since this information is time sensitive and
the LTTE funds may have been moved subsequent to his arrest.
The Sri Lankan FIU knows that the USG is fully committed to
providing assistance in tracking down LTTE assets, and post
will be proactive when called upon. End Comment.

COHN