Jaliya Wickramasuriya is a

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

n businessmen. A close relative of former President

Mahinda Rajapaksa Mahinda Rajapaksa ( si, මහින්ද රාජපක්ෂ, ta, மஹிந்த ராஜபக்ஷ; born Percy Mahendra Rajapaksa; 18 November 1945) is a Sri Lankan politician. He served as the President of Sri Lanka from 2005 to ...

, he was the Sri Lankan Ambassador to the United States from 2008 to 2014, until the US government asked the Sri Lankan government to recall him. He has been accused of several financial crimes during his tenure. In April 2022, he pleaded guilty to diverting $332,000 of Sri Lankan government funds supposedly intended for the purchase of a new Embassy site.

Family and education

Wickramasuriya was born in Matara to an aristocratic family. He is a son of Pema and Kamala Wickramasuriya née Rajapaksa, daughter of D. M. Rajapaksa and a first cousin of Mahinda Rajapaksa who served as

President of Sri Lanka The President of Sri Lanka ( si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා ජනාධිපති ''Śrī Laṃkā Janādhipathi''; ta, இலங்கை சனாதிபதி ''Ilankai janātipati'') is the head of state and head of government of t ...

from 2005 to 2015. Colonel

Prasanna Wickramasuriya Lieutenant Colonel Prasanna Wickramasuriya, WWV, RWP, RSP is a highly decorated (retired) Sri Lanka Army officer who served as Chairman of Airport and Aviation Services (Sri Lanka) Ltd. As a two time recipient of the Weera Wickrama Vibhushana ...

is his younger brother and brother-in-law of

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

A. F. Lafir. He was educated at

Nalanda College, Colombo ''Āpadāna Sobhinī Panñā'' , motto_translation = Character Illumines Wisdom , established = , founder = Patrick de Silva Kularatne , type = National , grades = ...

Business career

He started his career in the tea industry, working at

Dilmah Dilmah is a Sri Lankan brand of Ceylon tea, sold internationally. The company was founded in 1988 by Merrill J Fernando. The name Dilmah was chosen by combining the first names of Fernando's sons Dilhan and Malik. It is available in over 100 c ...

. He went on to become the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Ceylon Royal Teas (Pvt) Ltd and was based in the United States exporting tea from Sri Lanka to the United States.

Diplomatic posting

Following his cousin's election as President of Sri Lanka, Wickramasuirya was appointed

Consul General A consul is an official representative of the government of one state in the territory of another, normally acting to assist and protect the citizens of the consul's own country, as well as to facilitate trade and friendship between the people ...

of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, California in 2005 and held the appointment till 2008. In August 2008, he was appointed by President Rajapaksa as

Ambassador An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or sov ...

of the

Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territo ...

and

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

. During his tenure, he was investigated by the

IRS The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is the revenue service for the United States federal government, which is responsible for collecting U.S. federal taxes and administering the Internal Revenue Code, the main body of the federal statutory tax ...

on tax evasion and the US government requested the government of Sri Lanka recall Wickramasuirya. As a result, Wickramasuirya was recalled to Sri Lanka in July 2014 and was replaced by Asela Weerakoon on a temporarily basis until

Prasad Kariyawasam Prasad Kariyawasam is a Sri Lankan diplomat and the former Secretary to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the top diplomat in Sri Lanka. He was the International Affairs Adviser to Hon. Karu Jayasooriya, Speaker of the Parliament of Sri Lanka.He ...

was appointed as the permanent ambassador.

Guilty plea on misuse of state funds

The Police Financial Crimes Investigations Division (FCID) arrested him on 17 November 2016, after he tried to flee the country from Katunayake Airport, and was a suspect of allegedly accepting a

USD The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...

$332,000 commission while serving as the Sri Lankan Ambassador to the United States. He was remanded by the courts on the same day. It is alleged that the money was used to purchase a house in the United States for his daughter, Sarindee. An open warrant was issued in January 2018 in Colombo for his arrest in connection with those charges. He was allowed by Courts to travel for medical treatments, but later it was reported that he was missing and subsequently the court issued an open warrant. In April 2022, he pleaded guilty. According to Special Agent in Charge Ray Villanueva of HSI Washington, D.C., “Mr. Wickramasuriya attempted to use his position of authority to defraud his own government and steal from the people he represented. He did not expect the American authorities to get involved and call on HSI Washington, D.C. to investigate. Today he begins the process of paying for his crimes.”

Accusation of money laundering

The

United States Department of Justice The United States Department of Justice (DOJ), also known as the Justice Department, is a federal executive department of the United States government tasked with the enforcement of federal law and administration of justice in the United State ...

has moved to indict Wickremesuriya on money laundering charges, following an investigation by the

FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, t ...

and indictment by

grand jury A grand jury is a jury—a group of citizens—empowered by law to conduct legal proceedings, investigate potential criminal conduct, and determine whether criminal charges should be brought. A grand jury may subpoena physical evidence or a per ...

. The Sri Lankan Ministry of Foreign Affairs has waived the diplomatic immunity granted Wickramasuriya during his tenure as the Sri Lankan Ambassador in Washington. Wickremesuriya challenged the removal of immunity by way of a writ petition in

Court of Appeal of Sri Lanka A court is any person or institution, often as a government institution, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between parties and carry out the administration of justice in civil, criminal, and administrative matters in accordan ...

, which was dismissed by the court on 29 March 2018. Following which he had filed a fundamental rights case in the

Supreme Court of Sri Lanka The Supreme Court of Sri Lanka ( si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා ශ්‍රේෂ්ඨාධිකරණය, Sri Lanka Sreshthadikaranaya; ta, இலங்கை உயர் நீதிமன்றம், Ilankai uyar neetimanram) is th ...

on the same matter.

References

External links

Jaliya Wickramasuriya Pleads Guilty Defrauding Sri Lankan Poor People Money

RELIGIOUS CEREMONY TO WELCOME AMBASSADOR DESIGNATE JALIYA WICKRAMASURIYA

A TASTE OF SRI LANKA SRI LANKAN AMBASSADOR HOSTS MERIDIEN EMBASSY CHEFS SERIES

Resplendent Lady - From Colombo to California, Going Extra Mile to Tell Sri Lanka's Story

AMBASSADOR JALIYA WICKRAMASURIYA PRESENTS CREDENTIALS TO PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wickramasuriya, Jaliya Sinhalese businesspeople Sri Lankan Buddhists Alumni of Nalanda College, Colombo Ambassadors of Sri Lanka to the United States Ambassadors of Sri Lanka to Mexico Living people 1960 births Rajapaksa family