Harry J & family stalled in bid at Stassesns-connected firm

 
 
An attempt to appoint powerful businessman, Harry Jayawardene, his wife and their two daughters to the board of a Stassens-related company was stalled on Tuesday at an Extra Ordinary General Meeting of the company, according to company sources.

The company concerned is CBD Exports’ (a holding company in which a large shareholding of HNB comes under) and the resolution to include Jayawardene and family was proposed by Stanley Perera, a shareholder.

One source said that Raj Obeyesekere, a director and CBD Chairman Zaki Alif were also present at the meeting. “Prior to the agenda being taken up, a proxy holder for one of the shareholders raised an order on the basis that the proposed directors do not meet the criteria to be appointed as directors as the Articles of the company does not qualify them to be directors,” he said. The source said the Articles say that a director has to hold 10 shares of CBD to become one of its directors. “Then Mr. Jayawardene at this time said that the Articles he is in possession do not have such provisions. But it was noted that the Articles registered in the company registry have them,” he added. Jayawardene and his co-directors (Obeysekere and Alif) along with the late V.P. Vittachi, have been clashing over the past few years and gone to court on many occasions relating to these companies.