-A group of officials from the Sri Lankan Embassy in Romania
(Lanka-e-News -13.Oct.2024, 9.20 pm) M.E. Madhurika Joseph Wenninger is currently the Sri Lankan Ambassador to Romania. Madhurika joined the foreign service in 1998, having allegedly earned her position by attracting the attention of Vasantaraja, the then-chairman of the Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation, through improper means. Vasantaraja, a close ally of former President Chandrika Bandaranaike, is said to have exploited his relationship with Madhurika for personal gain. In 1999, Vasantaraja was also accused of involvement in the attempted assassination of Chandrika during a Colombo Municipal Council meeting, a claim confirmed by former Norwegian Foreign Minister Erik Solheim in 2017. Madhurika Joseph gained notoriety on a public website for allegedly entrapping Vasantaraja during her time as a presenter for ETV programs. (Madhurika became known as Madhurika Wenninger after marrying Austrian national Wolf Gang Wenninger in 2006.)
Madhurika Joseph Wenninger was appointed as the Sri Lankan ambassador to Romania, allegedly bypassing proper diplomatic procedures with the help of former Foreign Minister Ali Sabry. Now, in Romania, she is tarnishing the reputation of Sri Lanka.
Romania is home to around 50,000 Sri Lankan workers engaged in various jobs, contributing foreign exchange to the country despite facing various challenges such as visa expiration and delays in securing work permits. Many of these workers, when left homeless, sleep on the streets or in parks. If they approach Madhurika Wenninger for help, they are reportedly met with rude insults.
In addition to her lack of concern for the Sri Lankan workers, Madhurika Wenninger has allegedly started hosting guests in the embassy as if it were her personal property. On the night of Saturday, October 5, 2024, a couple arriving from Kuwait was reportedly given accommodation in one of the embassy’s upstairs rooms. This couple, still residing in the embassy as of the writing of this article, is said to be smoking and cooking meals in the room. The couple reportedly leaves the embassy around 9 p.m. and returns around 3 a.m., hiding in their room during the day. When the building owners visited recently, the couple’s bags were hurriedly placed in the embassy vehicle. This raises several questions: who are they, and why are they being given embassy privileges?
According to information we received, this couple has been granted accommodation in the embassy under the directive of Ambassador Madhurika Wenninger. They are said to have defrauded a group of Sri Lankans and Indians in Kuwait out of nearly 30 million rupees before fleeing to Romania. Now, they are residing freely in the Sri Lankan Embassy in Romania, using public funds for electricity and water while freely using air conditioners, rice cookers, and hot plates.
On September 17, 2024, Madhurika Wenninger was scheduled to present her credentials at the Romanian Presidential Palace at 12 noon. However, as is her custom in both her professional and personal life, she was late by an hour. Due to her tardiness, security officers at the palace initially refused her entry. It was only through the intervention of the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs that she was eventually allowed to enter the palace.
Madhurika Wenninger, currently married to a 66-year-old Austrian national, has also allegedly used official embassy vehicles illegally. On the night of October 11, 2024, her elderly husband reportedly drove the official CD 224102 X-TRAIL embassy vehicle, along with his relatives from Austria, without authorization. As of now, the vehicle remains in the possession of Wolf Gang Wenninger. The question remains: who approved the unauthorized use of this state property by a foreign national, and who will be held responsible if an accident occurs?
Madhurika Wenninger is described as the most corrupt and fraudulent figure in the Sri Lankan foreign service. Her tenure at the Frankfurt Consulate from 2018 to 2022 allegedly led to the office’s closure due to mismanagement and corruption. She reportedly sold a Benz vehicle owned by the consulate for 15,000 euros but only returned 6,000 euros to the Sri Lankan government, pocketing the remaining 9,000 euros. Despite her actions, she remains shielded by an invisible hand within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, continuing her fraudulent activities unchecked.
This is not the first time that Madhurika Wenninger has brought shame to Sri Lanka while serving in Romania. On two previous occasions, she allegedly presented false information to the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, further damaging Sri Lanka’s reputation. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Sri Lanka must address this ongoing corruption and misuse of public resources immediately.
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by (2024-10-13 16:08:25)
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