Former Minister Prasanna Ranatunga arrested

Former Minister Prasanna Ranatunga was arrested this morning (November 12) after appearing before the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC).

He had arrived at the Commission to provide a statement when officers took him into custody in connection with an ongoing investigation into alleged financial misconduct during his tenure as Minister of Tourism.

According to the Bribery Commission, Ranatunga was arrested over an alleged financial irregularity that took place in 2021, involving the misappropriation of public funds amounting to over Rs. 4.7 million.

Investigations revealed that four institutions under the Ministry of Tourism, the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority, Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau, Sri Lanka Institute of Tourism and Hotel Management, and the Sri Lanka Convention Bureau, were required to obtain medical insurance coverage for their employees.

Instead of obtaining the coverage directly from the state-owned Sri Lanka Insurance Corporation (SLIC), which could have been done without any commission payments, a private brokerage firm, My Insurance Brokers, was unlawfully appointed as an intermediary.

This decision allegedly enabled the broker company to receive Rs. 4,750,828.72 in commission payments that should not have been made, resulting in a corresponding financial loss to the SLIC and granting an unlawful benefit to the private firm.

Charges have therefore been filed against the former minister for allegedly causing this loss to the government by appointing the broker company in violation of the law.

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UPDATE – 02:50 PM:

Former Minister Prasanna Ranatunga, was released on bail by Colombo Chief Magistrate Asanga S. Bodaragama.

The Magistrate ordered Ranatunga’s release on a cash bail of Rs. 100,000 and two sureties of Rs. 5 million each, while also imposing a travel ban preventing him from leaving the country.

The case has been scheduled to be taken up again on January 16, 2026.