Dinesh had given UDA’s Dunn bungalow and 15 acre land in Nuwara Eliya to a foreigner

Sources from the Defence Ministry say that former Urban Development Minister Dinesh Gunawradena and high ranking officials of the UDA have allowed a foreigner to take charge of the Dunn bungalow and 15 acres belonging to the bungalow to a foreigner. The Dunn bungalow, also known as Oakley Cottage, located at No. 35 Upper Lake Road, Nuawara Eliya was acquired by the government during former President R. Premadasa’s tenure as local government minister.

The bungalow and land were acquired by the government and handed to the UDA through a special gazette notification since they were not used for decades by custodians of the land, a foreigner called De Vos, under the Nuwara Eliya Development Programme.
     In this backdrop, a Australian grand son of the first owner of the bungalow and land had reacquired the properties by filing a case before the Court of Appeal.

The Defence Ministry officials inquiring in to the transaction have expressed doubts over the silence maintained by the UDA in relation to the case and not making any attempt to regain the properties by filing a case against the Court of Appeal verdict before the Supreme Court.

The Defence Secretary, who is in charge of the UDA, has called for a special investigation in to the matter claiming it to be a massive fraud.

It is learnt that the property in Nuwara Eliya, which was re-acquired by a foreign family, is to be divided in to plots to be sold shortly.

The foreigner is hopeful of earning Rs. 1,200 million by selling 1,200 perches of the land.