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To: hawkeye who wrote (2823)	10/23/1999 10:46:00 AM
From: hawkeye	Respond to of 3679

CEMENT AND CORRUPTION JUST SEEM TO BE EVERYWHERE NOTE: THE US CEMENT INDUSTRY IS 70% FOREIGN-OWNED [Source of story below is here: lacnet.org] Aritha offers to quit over cement row In a snowballing saga of corporate sleaze involving the privatisation of the Puttalam Cement Corporation, Aritha Wickramanayake, the Director General of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has offered his resignation to President Chandrika Kumaratunga, The Sunday Times learns. Mr. Wickramanayake's offer comes in a 6 page letter to the President over allegations made between waring factions that a Cabinet Minister had been offered a bribe in the whole sordid deal and that the SEC had acted improperly. Mr. Wickramanayake who is also a member of PERC, the body in charge of the government's privatisation programme has offered to resign from that commission unless the President clears the air on issues raised by him. Last night Mr. Wickramanayake told The Sunday Times that he had offered his resignation effective from February 29, but declined to elaborate saying that he had promised not to talk about it. Last week The Sunday Times published extracts of the transcript of a telephone conversation where two business investors discussed how to bribe Sri Lankan politicians in the multi-million rupee Puttalam cement case, now before the District Court of Colombo. The Watergate style tape conversation had been between Jaward Tawakkal of the Tawakkal Group of Pakistan and Ascanio Martinotti of Regent Pacific in Hong Kong. Excerpt of the conversation between them went like this: SEC chief offers to quit over cement row Ascanio Martinotti (AM): And they told me that the rumours in Colombo. Jaward Tawakkal (JT): Yes. AM: Are that you... you paid much more... for getting that approval of the Cabinet... JT: No, no.. that's what it is. AM: You paid twenty million? JT: Thirty! AM: Thirty. I had heard... no because you know. I mean, we were discussing and this one.. .said...ah... no... because the rumours is that... but that is incredible anyway... they asked like this? JT: You know.... the English people say that... "Money works, bullshit talks..." AM: Yes... money works, bullshit talks... JT: It is like that... in Sri Lanka... we can... everywhere, not in Sri Lanka, you can do, anything if you have.... AM: No... but in any event you know... because I played down the thing. I think it is in our interest now to say that nothing has happened and no money was paid to the government at all and... and... and is the middle man... the person you said you gave the money to.... a person you trust or someone who can go around... and...? JT: No... we know the person and I have the contacts of upper (...) that... top person also... I have met several times... and I know all of them, all Cabinet people... I am talking to... because it is two years that I am there and I know each of them very well... all top level and (...) secretary... every week, you know, we get together. They know me and I know them now... basically you know... the thing is "friend".... everybody is your friend... that is the thing now... and now they say... "Mr. Jawaid, you want anything in Sri Lanka?..... just let us know... if you have somebody... that bothers you... "Even you, you know your case (i.e. the court action and the EGM requisition)... they said... "Ok! If you want we intervene... we'll sort it out... this is our problem, we'll sort it out..." Because I know... if I tell them something they will ask for more..." AM: They will ask for more money?..... JT: Yes... you know... if I tell the government... it will take me... "Ok, give us our side... 10 percent..." ...they will ask for something... and they will give this our side... you know.... AM: I understand... JT: Because these (....) having vested interested, they are defeated now... I do not think they had to overcome me and Tawakkal, but... unfortunately it defeated them... they were aware that we are foreigners and they will threaten us... but they do not have much to... and we have... AM: When... when was this? JT: This year... you know.... last year... sorry.... AM: 1995! JT: 1995.... that is why this Cabinet has got to give the approval and everything... AM: Ah yes... that is for the famous Cabinet approval decision, that you gave me (i.e. the Cabinet Decision No. 95/0551/121/012 of 23 March)... it was to reverse that decision?....