Umar says Thasmeen and Shahid’s India trip ticket genuine

Male: Opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) Deputy Leader Umar Naseer Sunday said the e-ticket allegedly purchased for DRP Leader Ahmed Thasmeen Ali and Parliament Speaker Abdulla Shahid to travel to India to meet GMR officials was genuine.
Umar showed a letter to journalists, which was allegedly sent by the Sri Lankan Airlines Colombo office, confirming that the ticket was genuine. However, the issued date on the letter and the ticket do not match.
Asked by Haveeru about the ticket, Dammika Kulatunge who signed the letter confirmed the genuineness of the two tickets issued to Thasmeen and Shahid but said they were later refunded. According to the letter, Kulatunge is the airline’s Manager for Sri Lanka and the Maldives.
A local website earlier reported that Thasmeen and DRP council member Shahid met GMR officials in New Delhi and accepted US$1 million per person. The website further claimed that they travelled to India via Sri Lanka.
Umar earlier accused “some people of our group” accepting bribe from GMR.
Thasmeen and Shahid, however, denied the accusations and said they had never met GMR officials.
The government leased Male International Airport to GMR for 25 years on June 29. The Indian company formed a joint venture with Malaysia Airports Holdings (MAHB) and registered GMR Male International Airport Private Limited at Trade Ministry which took over the airport operations last month.
The letter sent to Umar said the tickets were issued in Hyderabad on October 16, 2010 for the two to travel from New Delhi to Male via Colombo.
“We confirm the tickets are issued on Sri Lankan Airlines by an authorised agent to travel on Sri Lankan flights,” the letter read.
But the ticket shows that it was issued on October 26, 2010 for Shahid and Thasmeen to travel from New Delhi to Colombo on October 30 at 7.30pm. The two were to leave Colombo to return to the Maldives at 11.30pm.
Umar said Thasmeen and Shahid cancelled the trip to India after DRP Supreme Leader Maumoon Abdul Gayoom called them.
12/12/10 haveeru online.com

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Categories: Airports Dec 2010, Foreign Dec 2010