By Ayesha Wijeratne
Colombo Fort Magistrate and Additional District Judge Gihan Pilapitiya has issued summons on three parties who are claiming a sum of British £175,000 entrusted by a last will of two British donors.
Summons were issued on Prasanna Jayasuriya, a trustee of Mahabodhi Society of India empowered to sign cheques of the society’s account, Ven. Akuratiye Nanda Thera who is also authorised to sign cheques of the society and the General Secretary of the Mahabodhi Society of India Ven. Dr Dodangoda Rewatha Thera.

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) submitting a further report told the Magistrate that they have concluded investigations in connection with the complaint and they will seek the Attorney General’s advice on the matter.
Earlier the Magistrate ordered the CID to present all relevant details of claimant parties who are claiming the donation money.

CID commenced investigations in connection with the alleged misappropriation following a complaint made by the President of the Sri Lanka Mahabodhi Society, Ven. Banagala Upatissa Thera on August 8, 2008 that an organisation called Mahabodhi Society of India had fraudulently credited to their account, the money donated by a British donor through his last will that has been originally allocated to the Sri Lanka Mahabodhi Society.

However, the complainant had only mentioned a single male donor in his complaint, the CID told Court after the investigations. Investigations had revealed that the donation money had come from two women donors named Gress C. Lonsberg and Nagarita La Fronte through their last wills, written on 06.12.1956. The donors had died in 1991.
The donation money had been credited to an account bearing No. 06185854 in the Metropolitan Branch of the Bank of Ceylon, Fort.

Said bank account was suspended on a court order. The CID had recorded statements from the General Secretary of the Mahabodhi Society of India Ven. Dr Dodangoda Rewatha Thera and from the Manager and the Assistant Manager of the Metropolitan Branch of the Bank of Ceylon.
According to the complainant party, it has been a practice that donors who are willing to donate money to the Mahabodhi Society to allocate that money in the form of last wills and several other ways. Such type of money is controlled by the Mahabodhi Board of Control.

The Maha Bodhi Society is a South Asian Buddhist society founded by the Sri Lankan Buddhist leader Anagarika Dharmapala in 1891 and its branches are found in many countries in the world including India.
President of the Sri Lanka Mahabodhi Society, Ven. Banagala Upatissa Thera had mentioned in his complaint that the organisation Mahabodhi Society of India that had credited the donation money mentioned in a will written in 1956, to their account although the particular organisation had registered later in 1991.

In a statement given to the CID by the General Secretary of the Mahabodhi Society of India Ven. Dodangoda Rewatha had said that the Mahabodhi Society was founded by the Buddhist leader Anagarika Dharmapala in 1891 and its head office is located in Kolkata.
According to Ven. Rewatha their organisation had been registered under the Indian Government in 1961 and later legally named as Mahabodhi Society of India in 1991.

The two donors had written the donation to the Mahabodhi Society of India at Bankim Chatterjee Street, Kolkata.
As a result of exchanging letters with the donor party lawyers since 1995, the Mahabodhi Society of India had got the donation money credited to their account.

The CID had revealed through further investigations that the Mahabodhi Society of India had started in 1981 as Buddagaya Mahabodhi Society and later had changed its name as Mahabodhi Society. This organisation had been established in Kolkata in 1992 and in several parts of the world after originally started in 1891. Particular Mahabodhi Society had been registered in 1961 and its name was changed as ‘Mahabodhi Society of India’ in 1981.
Further investigations are being conducted by the CID and the case will be taken up again on October 7, 2009.

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