Charity Front

WASHINGTON, October 22, 2009 (AFP) - About 30 victims of attacks by Sri Lanka's rebel Tamil Tigers filed a suit Thursday against the billionaire head of a US hedge fund facing insider trading charges. The suit alleges that Galleon Group founder Raj Rajaratnam and a family foundation led by his father gave more than five million dollars to a US charity that was subsequently declared a front for the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.

The LTTE, popularly called the Tamil Tigers, fought a brutal separatist war against the Sri Lanka government from 1976 until it was defeated last May.

"We are seeking justice for the victims of LTTE terrorism, accountability for those whose money paid for the injuries and murder of our clients and their loved ones, and a strong deterrent against anyone who seeks to support terrorists of any stripe," said Michael Elsner, lawyer for the plaintiffs, in a statement.

"The defendants, we allege, have the plaintiffs’ blood on their hands because those who paid for murder are just as culpable as those who committed the acts," Elsner said.

Reacting to the suit, Rajaratnam's lawyer James Walden said accusation that his client supported the LTTE was "flatly u

Subscribe
Notify of
guest
0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Top
0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x