Attorney Michael Elsner said, “Yes they can”, joining in an exclusive interview with Boston Lanka, responding to a question about the possibility of any other victims of LTTE violence join in as the plaintiffs of the lawsuit against the Sri Lankan born Wall Street hedge fund billionaire, Raj Rajaratnam,”
The lawsuit, ‘Krishanthi vs. Rajaratnam’, was filed in the U.S. District Courts of New Jersey by more than two dozen Sri Lankan citizens who claim they lost family members or were themselves injured in five bombings carried out by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Ealam (LTTE) in Sri Lanka in later 2007 and early 2008. They further claim that Wall Street hedge fund manager Rajakumara Rajaratnam and his father, J. M. Rajaratnam, knowingly provided financial and other support to the Tamil Tigers.
The lawsuit allege that Rajakumara Rajaratnam, of New York City, and his father, Jesuthasan Rajaratnam, of Old Tappan, N.J., both U.S. citizens, gave millions of dollars directly to Tamil Rehabilitation Organization ( TRO )and also via the Rajaratnam Family Foundation. Their money and money donated by others allegedly wound up in the hands of TRO-Sri Lanka, a sister organization that provided financial support to the Tamil Tigers.
Elaborating further to the Boston Lanka, attorney Elsner explained about the 10 year time limit set by the courts when a person wish to join in as a plaintiff of a civil case. According to Attorney Elsner, if the terrorist acts of LTTE that the victims were injured or their family members were killed were within that period they can join in as plaintiffs of the lawsuit: ‘Krishanthi vs. Rajaratnam’. The first step would be to call Attorney Michael Elsner’s office in South Carolina. (http://www.motleyrice.com/attorneys/view/michael-e-elsner)
Answering to a question about the nature of this lawsuit, attorney Elsner commented that ‘these are the tools the US government has given to the victims of terrorism to be able to pursue civil litigation against those who knowingly provide funding and other types of material support for Terrorist Organizations."
Attorney Elsner believes that this was the first civil case in the USA brought against a financier of LTTE network.
When asked about the evidence that plaintiff side has against Raj Rajaratnam on financing the LTTE terror network, Attorney Elsner responded that they have ample evidence and mentioned about some of the disclosures of KP, confidant of Prabakaran that will be useful in proving that the defendants played a role in bankrolling the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam which the U.S. classified as a foreign terrorist organization in 1997.
The plaintiffs describe the Rajaratnams as "members of the global Tamil expatriate community who knowingly and purposefully helped fund the LTTE terror campaign and spread LTTE propaganda." As late as 2007, the U.S. Department of State identified TRO in the U.S. as one of the biggest sources of overseas donations to the Tigers and the Rajaratnam Family as the largest private donor from the United States, says the Complaint.
“We have two purposes in brining this lawsuit: One is for the victims to get monetary compensation for their terrible suffering due to LTTE terror acts due to knowing financial support of the defendant and the second one is that this will have a deterrent effect for any other financier who provided funds in the past or providing funds at present or plans to provide funds in the future to a terrorist organization” said counsel for the plaintiffs, Attorney Michael Elsner.
“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
The Boston Lanka News Edition: September 13, 2010 will carry the full interview with Attorney Michael Elsner.
