Tamil businessman joins the government

(December 21, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) A well known multi millionaire businessman and a former Tamil Tiger campaigner have joined the government through the back door recently. Thilagarajah known in the LTTE circle in London as Tilak who had funded the LTTE operations and invested heavily in properties during the LTTE regime in the North of Sri Lanka have joined hands with the government to protect his extensive property investment portfolios in the former LTTE controlled areas in Sri Lanka.

Tilakarajah runs successful estate agency businesses under the style of Tilak Property Services in London and onetime was dealing with letting properties to Tamil asylum seekers in the East London area. The properties were mainly let on state funded housing benefit claims and he had made enormous sums from this business.

He is married to a qualified accountant who has specialist taxation qualification to go through the massive amounts of tax savings for the husband.

With the defeat of the LTTE, Tilakarajah was put in a quagmire and having considered all the options had no other alternative but to get in touch with the paramilitary leader and the non-cabinet minister Douglas Devananda who in turn had put him in touch with the President’s brother Basil Rajapakse. According reliable information, Tilak has reached a commission paying deal with Basil Rajapake to safeguard his investments during LTTE times and to undertake further investments in Sri Lanka.

According to Defence Ministry news filed recently, Tilak has been granted to build a multi million hotel project in Jaffna.

Thilakarajah’s wealth is said to be heavily achieved by non payment of excess payment of rents under the housing scheme for the asylum claimants. According to information he was able to get way by not refunding to the Councils in excess of £500,000. At the peak of the arrival of Tamil asylum claimants from Sri Lanka, the Councils did not have strict controls to collect overpayments and the failures of the Councils have paved the way for Tilak to siphon off such enormous sum.

Tilak has multiple property investments in London from the funds defaulted by the Councils. It is now established that the Councils cannot reclaim these sums due to their own default in not pursuing the over-payments.

-Sri Lanka Guardian