Battered President meets British and EU parliamentarians headed bysleaze riddled Lord Nesby

(December 03, London, Sri Lanka Guardian) Following the events leading to cancellation of the well publicized speech at the Oxford Union, a meeting was hurriedly arranged with the President Mahendra Rajapakse by Lord Nesby, the Co-Chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Sri Lanka and the controversial and anti-Tamil Sri Lankan born Niranjan Devaadithya MEP well known as Niraj Deva.

Lord Nesby of the Conservative Party, Lord Sheikh of the Conservative Party, Lord Dholakia of the Liberal Democrat Party, Lord Grocott of the Labour Party, Lord Wallace of the Liberal Democrat Party, Niraj Deva, MEP Conservative Party, Geoffrey Van Orden MEP, James Wharton MP of the Conservative Party, Nigel Evans MP of Conservative Party, Mr. David Amess MP of Conservative Party were met by the President.

It was reported in the media in 2009 that a Conservative Party Lord was given undisclosed sums by the Sri Lanka government via a third party involving a Maldivian political contact. When inquiries were made with the parliament, Lord Nesby has disclosed his travel arrangements paid by the Sri Lanka government. But disclosure did not confirm any financial payments made to him by the government.

It was also reported that Sri Lanka government channelled the undisclosed sum through the former Maldivian President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom. Publication of this revelation was not contested by the former Maldivian President to this date.

On 8 January 2009, when Lord Nesby was in Sri Lanka, he praised the Sri Lanka government’s capability of liberating Kilinochchi causing zero casualties to the civilians when he met the President at the Temple Trees. Lord Nesby assured the President that he will campaign to curtail the activities of the LTTE in the UK. A reliable source in the Sri Lanka High Commission in London confirmed that funds were clandestinely passed to Lord Nesby through Abdul Gayoom soon after this meeting.

The controversial Niraj Deva MEP was one time a Member of Parliament in the House of Commons. Whilst serving as MP, he was also conducting a telephone discussion slot for the Asian Radio station Sunrise Radio. His controversial pro-Sri Lanka – anti Tamil comments led to investigation by the Radio Authority. It was found the programme conducted by Niraj Deva was biased and the Sunrise Radio was ordered to conduct another phoning programme without Niraj Deva. Almost two hours long programme conducted by a independent broadcaster gave wider opportunity for the Sunrise listeners to air their views on Sri Lanka.

Following this, Sunrise Radio was further investigated for bribing a Radio Authority senior official. The investigation resulted in the senior official loosing her job and Sunrise Radio paying hefty fine to the authority.