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Lycamobile accused of money laundering & VAT fraud in France

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Lycamobile France, three of its managers and eight other people are on trial in Paris from Monday on charges of money laundering and VAT fraud between 2014 and 2016, French media reported.

Lycamobile is owned by Subaskaran Aliraja, who has become the ultimate owner of three radio and television channels in Sri Lanka. The company has also offered to buy state-owned shares in Sri Lanka Telecom PLC and Lanka Hospital PLC.

BFM Business news said a Paris Court is looking into Lycamobile involving a series of front companies and traders in the Parisian district of La Chapelle, which would have made it possible to launder more than 17 million euros in seven months.

However, according to the company, which defends itself from any infringement, has said that a “system” has been set up “without their knowledge.” 

Revealed by the Buzzfeed site, the investigations were launched in early 2016 into the allegations.

The investigations revealed a circular operation where there were construction companies which made transfers and checks to “filter” companies in exchange of false invoices.

These companies, in reality empty shells, bought cards and phone recharges from Lycamobile, but these goods were not received, according to the investigation.

Two Lycamobile sales reps resold them to shops in the 18th arrondissement of Paris.

The prepaid cards and their top-ups were resold on the “ethnic market” of North African, African and Indo-Pakistani communities wishing to call abroad.

“This procedure shows very clearly that filter companies and construction companies have organized and implemented a system to remunerate work concealed by a game of SIM card resales without the knowledge of Lycamobile”, a company spokesperson has told the AFP. 

“We cannot therefore hold Lycamobile responsible for the implementation of this illegal scheme which is totally foreign to it”, adds the spokesperson.

The court will examine suspicions of VAT fraud through the “misuse” of an existing legal derogatory regime in the telephone sector.

The prosecution considers that, via an “arrangement” between the two sister companies, Lycamobile Services improperly resold the telephone products, purchased all taxes included (TTC) from Lycamobile France, at a price excluding tax (HT), which allowed it to claim VAT refunds.

Lycamobile France, Lycamobile Services, as well as Alain Jochimek, managing director of the two companies, are tried for laundering or misuse of corporate assets and concealed work in an organized gang.

Lycamobile Services and Alain Jochimek are tried for VAT fraud.

Eight other defendants are tried for one or the other offence, suspected of having played a role in the scheme.

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Chinese Commerce Minister in Colombo with large business delegation

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Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao arrived in Sri Lanka yesterday (May 28)  and was received by the Trade, Commerce, Food Security and Co-operative Development Deputy Minister – R.M.Jayawardena at the Bandaranaike International Airport in Katunayake.

He is accompanied by a 115-member business delegation drawn from 77 companies. The visiting delegates will represent four major chambers in China: the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Machinery and Electronic Products, the China Chamber of Commerce of Import and Export of Foodstuffs, Native Produce and Animal By-Products (CFNA), the China International Chamber of Commerce for the Private Sector (CICCPS), and the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Textiles.

The delegation will participate in the Sri Lanka-China Trade and Investment Forum to be held in Colombo tomorrow (May 30), hosted by the Department of Commerce of Sri Lanka, the Sri Lanka–China Business Council of the chamber, and the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Machinery and Electronic Products.

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Deshabandu several cops linked to Harak Kata’s drug mafia

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The ongoing investigation into the Weligama incident is primarily based on evidence submitted by supporters of the National People’s Power (NPP) party, according to Sanjeewa Weerawickrama, legal counsel for suspended IGP – Deshabandu Tennekoon.

He conveyed this during proceedings before the special commission probing allegations against Tennakoon.

Weerawickrama noted that future developments in the case may similarly rely on evidence from political affiliates. In response, Commission Chairman Supreme Court Justice Preethi Padman Surasena stressed the importance of neutrality in the investigation and said all witnesses including those from the NPP may be summoned to assess the credibility of the evidence.

During the session, Tennekoon revealed that several police officers in the Southern Province are allegedly involved in a drug trafficking network linked to underworld figure Harak Kata. He suggested that fear and personal benefit had motivated some officers, particularly those from Matara to collaborate with the drug syndicate.

Justice Surasena advised Tennakoon to avoid unsolicited comments during this stage of the inquiry, assuring him that he would be granted an opportunity to present a full defense later.

Tennekoon also clarified that he had only authorized the arrest of individuals who had communicated with Harak Kata and denied forming or assigning any operational teams. He added that he first became aware of the Weligama incident on December 31.

(Excerpts : dailymirror.lk)

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Pensions dept. confirms no data loss after cyberattack

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The Department of Pensions has stated that no data was damaged or lost in the recent cyberattack on its information systems.

In an official statement, the department assured the public that measures have been taken to restore the functionality of its online systems to ensure uninterrupted service delivery.

The cyberattack, which targeted the department’s information security infrastructure in the first week of April, prompted immediate action. The department stated that its technical teams began restoring affected systems as soon as they were notified of the breach.

It further confirmed that the reactivation process has not resulted in any data loss or damage.

Meanwhile, an investigation into the incident has been launched in collaboration with the Sri Lanka Computer Emergency Readiness Team (SLCERT) to determine the source and nature of the attack.

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