The services of former SriLankan Airlines Security Manager (Cargo) were terminated in 2016 based on unproved charges, the Presidential Commission of Inquiry into the Malpractices of the SriLankan Airlines learnt yesterday.
He was charged for leaking sensitive information to outsiders and having unsuitable contents in his laptop, which the company’s IT experts had found to be baseless.
However, the said employee, Rtd. Major Samantha Kalyanaratna testifying before the Presidential Commission of Inquiry (PCoI) probing irregularities at SriLankan Airlines (PCoI) yesterday said he had to face this situation due a conflict between himself and the Security Manager (Security Quality Assurance) of SriLankan Airlines Kosala Kariyawasam over the newly set up Explosives Trace Detector (ETD) machines at the Katunayake Airport for in 2016.
The ETD machines at the Bandaranaike International Airport for cargo security operations were set up in 2016 replacing the existed Explosive Vapour Detectors (EVDs).
After setting up the machines, the Security Manager (Security Quality Assurance) Kariyawasam had sent an e-mail to the relevant parties requesting their feedback of the operations of these machines on August 16, 2016. In his reply e-mail on August 22, Kalyanaratne had pointed out the identified defects in using them such as the difficulties in checking the garments. Due to the absence of a reply, Kalyananda once again on August 24, had informed the relevant parties including Kosala Kariyawasam and Group Head of Security, Rtd. Major General P. Chandrawansa that he was receiving complaints from his people regarding these difficulties. “But, no one came and inspected the machines after they were commissioned”, he told the commission.
He also said that he had to sign the Contract Review Form relating to this purchase of these machines before the machines arrived at the location on the pressure of P. Chandrawansa. “I refused to sign the relevant document until the items are received.”
Before terminating his service, Kalyanaratna had been served with a charge sheet with six charges by the investigation committee, in which the leakage of sensitive information was the first.
He had been charged for an e-mail sent by an outsider called Amal Pepera on the Subject ‘Prevent Anomalies’ copying it to the CEO. Although, this e-mail had been sent by an outside domain and the IT experts found no evidence of his involvement in leaking the sensitive information, access to his official e-mail and his laptop had been blocked and he had been taken into to the custody by the company’s investigation department after his office and the laptop were sealed.
One of the other charges against him was that having pornographic contents in his official laptop. According to him, during the preliminary investigation against him conducted by the company, a statement by the IT Experts who supported the investigation to check his laptop had confirmed that no such content was found from his laptop’s hard disk.
That was on September 8, 2016. But, the investigation committee during another investigation held two weeks later on September 21 had showed him that there was pornographic content in his laptop’s hard disk.
“The hard disk of a laptop is an removable part. The investigators had not sealed the place where the hard disk is set up of my computer,” Kalyanaratna informed the commission. “I assure that those alleged porn videos did not belong to me”, he told the commission.
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