Cassocked CACM gang steals Bishop’s Throne at Pandatheruppu

"It appears the Rev Annappah Jeyakumar is the one who heads these operations on behalf of Father Jeyanesan. Apart from a Swiss Funds fraud amounting to Rs.421,000, the Rev Mr Jeyakumar had also some time ago fraudulently cashed a cheque made out to one S Ratnavel for Wanni Rehabilitation Work by Milroy Selvarajah of the Colombo Church."

by Jothi Raghavan from Jaffna

(August 30, Jaffna, Sri Lanka Guardian) A gang led by the Rev Annappah Jeyakumar, the deputy of Father Sellathurai Jeyanesan the head of a dissident church was ordered to vacate the JDCSI Pandatheruppu Church and parsonage by the Jaffna High Court. The eviction was completed yesterday assisted by fiscal officers from the District Court, Mallakam

But for the delay in signing the execution order by the District Court, the eviction would have been carried out the previous day.

A few days earlier, this gang had stormed the church and parsonage and ordered the resident priest and his family out threatening grievous bodily harm. The gang also caused Rs.300.000 worth of damage to the properties and possessions at the parsonage as well as the church.

When the church doors that were secured with several locks by the gang were forced open, many items inside were seen to have been removed including the Bishop’s Throne. Since July last year, the CACM, a church using the name American Ceylon Mission to which it has no right has been forcefully occupying some of the churches and parsonages that belong to the Jaffna Diocese of the Church of South India (JDCSI).

A group that supports Father Jeyanesan in Colombo had also stormed into the Colombo JDCSI Church during worship time early this year led by Newton Gnanaratnam, Chandran Ariaratnam and a few others and a criminal action has been filed against them at the Mount Lavinia courts by the police.

It appears the Rev Annappah Jeyakumar is the one who heads these operations on behalf of Father Jeyanesan. Apart from a Swiss Funds fraud amounting to Rs.421,000, the Rev Mr Jeyakumar had also some time ago fraudulently cashed a cheque made out to one S Ratnavel for Wanni Rehabilitation Work by Milroy Selvarajah of the Colombo Church. He had cashed the cheque illegally signing as S Ratnavel on the very day the cheque was handed to him to be delivered to Mr Ratnavel.

We learn there are other complaints of misdemeanour against this gangster priest.

The JDCSI authorities are also concerned about the whereabouts of a fund granted for Tsunami rehabilitation work amounting to Rs.9,408,212.32 at least three years ago. It was supposed to have been released by the Global Ministries of the Wider Churches Ministries of the United Church of Christ in Cleveland, Ohio, US sponsored by Dr Dhyan Chand Carr and the James Vijeyakumar.

The work on the project in Thumpalai near Point Pedro was initiated and completed by the JDCSI with funds advanced by the then treasurer of the JDCSI, Mr Annappah Jeyarajan, a brother of the Rev Annappah Jeyakumar. But until now these have not been reimbursed. It is also known Mr Jeyarajan has given out large sums of loans including to himself from the JDCSI funds without proper authorization.
- Sri Lanka Guardian