A forgotten password, a well sealed mobile phone and an unidentified RK dominated last week’s proceedings at the Presidential Commission of Inquiry investigating and inquiring into the Treasury Bond Issue. Former Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake was in the spotlight when he testified before the PCoI on August 2.
He was questioned extensively on a penthouse of the Monarch residencies rented out by Arjun Aloysius spending approximately a sum of Rs.10 million on behalf of the Karunanayake family.
Text massages
Minister Karunanayake denied being aware of such an arrangement and went on to say that he did not know that the lessee of the apartment was Aloysius. Then came the text massages, derived from Aloysius’ mobile phone in a bundle of documents running up to 8,600 pages.
Senior Additional Solicitor General Dappula de Livera read out a collection of 12 texts, which the Attorney General assumed to be relevant to Minister Karunanayake.
Password
The text messages have been circulated between Arjun Aloysius, Ruwan Gallage, Steve Samuells and Neil de Silva. Some of these messages mention an individual who appears as RK, Hon MP RK and Hon Ravi K. Minister Karunanayake denied any knowledge to the content of these messages.
No less interesting, former Perpetual Treasuries CEO Arjun Aloysius informed the PCoI that he “does not remember” the password of his Apple user account.
Initially, Aloysius has told the CID team of the PCoI that “he does not have an Apple user account”.
Aloysius’ Apple phone is in the custody of a team of digital forensic experts attached to the PCoI at present. Aloysius’ “amnesia” was challenged by Additional Solicitor General Yasantha Kodagoda on August 1, who informed the PCoI that Aloysius has entered into his Apple user account from his wife’s mobile phone.
The Attorney General made an application to the PCoI to issue an order denying Aloysius accessing and tampering with the data of his Apple account.
Apple ID
The PCoI issued an order prohibiting Arjun Aloysius from tampering with or altering in any manner, the data in his ‘Apple ID’ or ‘Apple Account’ and prohibiting his agents or others acting on his behalf from doing so.
The order was made on August 3 2017. Aloysius’ lawyer sought permission from the PCoI to allow his client to purchase a sim card with the same mobile number which he has handed over to the digital forensic investigators attached to the Treasury Bond Commission. The AG objected.
Representatives
The surrendered mobile phone of Arjun Mahendran caused much debate at the proceedings last week. On July 28, Mahendran requested that one of his representatives be allowed to be present when data is derived from his mobile phone, which was objected by the Attorney General.
ASG Kodagoda made the objection on the basis of international best practices being followed when a digital forensic examination is conducted. Mahendran, yet waits an order from the PCoI on his mobile phone.
It is kept under seal until an order is issued on it. Perpetual Treasuries Limited CEO Kasun Palisena too handed over his mobile phone to the PCoI last Friday (4).
He is yet to surrender his laptop computer. Palisena’s lawyer Kalinga Indatissa PC requested the PCoI to keep his client’s mobile phone under seal, until further orders are made on it.
Headlines
At the beginning of the week, Former Superintendent of the Employees’ Provident Fund, Assistant Governor R.A. Jayalath made headlines when he claimed that former Governor Arjun Mahendran “threatened” him to place an officer named P.H.I. Saman Kumara in the EPF Front Office where Treasury bond trading was carried out.
Investigation
The Central Bank has interdicted Saman Kumara following an investigation conducted on his involvement in the Treasury bond trading.
AG Jayalath testified before the PCoI on July 31, and August 1, 2 and 3.
The Senior Assistant Superintendent of the EPF D.L. Rohini testified before the PCoI on August 4. Perpetual Treasuries Limited (PTL) provided 24,000 audio clips including telephone conversations relevant to the investigations, on the same date.
The Treasury Bond Commission awaits the PTL CEO Kasun Palisena to testify on Tuesday (8). Meanwhile Aloysius’ Apple Account password remains forgotten. 