CRIMINALITY EXPOSED COLOMBO HILTON HOTEL CONSTRUCTION PERVERSELY `COVERED-UP'

About the Book

In this voluminous Book in a series by the Author on corruption, fraud and economic crime, with indepth analysis, transcending forensic accounting, he brilliantly reveals, with incisive diametrics, irrefutable evidence of criminality, in the construction of Colombo Hilton Hotel by Mitsui & Taisei, Japan, with Architects, Kanko Kikaku Sekkeisha Yozo Shibata & Associates – successful civil prosecution by Author led to Japanese writing-off US $ 207 Mn. He establishes beyond reasonable doubt, that original Architectural Plans had been suppressed / destroyed by a staged fire, with amended Architectural Plans surreptitiously substituted being cannibalized Sheets, with incongruous elevations, whereby such Plans could not be approved. Meticulously probing into elevations on Floor Sheets and Cross-Sectional Sheets, which crucial aspect had been overlooked by professional architectural investigations, he proves the shortfall of floors, with the elevations on tampered Sheets bearing ‘tell tale’ evidence of being identical, with elevations in the cross-sections of the Project Plan, upon which Hilton International formulated Profitability Forecasts, to obtain State Guarantees from Sri Lanka Government, to finance this construction, which was a major fraud perpetrated on the people, rendering such guarantees null and void. Shockingly revealed are perverse endeavours, including by Auditors, KPMG Ford, Rhodes, Thornton & Co., to cover-up this massive fraud, involving upper echelons, with socio-political / international ramifications. Appallingly, criminal investigations were significantly abandoned, on advice of Attorney General. Securities Exchange Commission colluded to cover-up, whilst Chartered Accountants Institute endeavoured to whitewash miscreants. This is a revealingly absorbing Book of real experiences of the Author, in exposing and combating, a despicable fraud on the people, which to him was a crime against humanity, and would be invaluable to investigators and prosecutors of commercial frauds and crimes, and civil society urging equal enforcement of the rule of law.

About the Author

Nihal Sri Ameresekere, F.C.A. (Sri Lanka), F.C.M.A. (United Kingdom), C.M.A. (Australia), C.F.E. (United States), is a Member, International Consortium on Governmental Financial Management and a Member, International Association of Anti-Corruption Authorities. Former Advisor, Ministry of Finance and Chairman, Public Enterprise Reforms Commission Sri Lanka. Has functioned as Senior Consultant on World Bank and USAID funded public sector economic reform projects.

A multi-disciplinary professional, exposed to private and public sectors, and a public interest activist, with wide international exposure. Not a legal professional, yet has appeared in person before the Supreme Court, successfully advocating public interest litigations. He is a forensic accounting investigative specialist. Has dispassionately spoken out on matters of national and public interest. Ardently upholds the sacred precept, that public property is solely of the people, and managed in fiduciary trust by governments; transgression of which he has committedly combated.

Has published exposés into transactions carried out, under the aegis of IMF, World Bank and ADB privatization agenda, incisively analyzing real case studies, exposing the shockingly dubious manner, in which privatizations have been perpetrated by the highest levels, disclosing the alarming indifference of international developmental agencies, completely eroding public confidence, crucial for meaningful privatization, to foster a free economy, characteristic with transparency.

He emphasizes that ‘economic terrorism’ germinates ‘armed terrorism’, resulting in violation of human rights. ‘Concerns of humanity, transcends interests of nationality’, he propounds; and that poverty alleviation schemes merely replace, at the cost of the poor, their own resources pillaged and plundered by socio-politically influential. Politicians vigorously campaign on election platforms, vociferously decrying fraud and corruption, vowing stringent action thereon. However, upon assuming office of government, get bogged down in the very quagmire of fraud and corruption, invariably peddled by powerful multinationals – as lucidly demonstrated through a series of other publications on his real life experiences thereon.