Rajitha Senaratne evades arrest over Rs. 26 Million corruption case

A spokesperson for the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) stated that former Fisheries Minister Rajitha Senaratne has switched off his mobile phone and left his residence.

He further said that several attempts were made yesterday (July 13) to arrest him.

Rajitha Senaratne has been named as a suspect in a case involving a financial loss of over Rs. 26.2 million to the government, allegedly caused by the illegal awarding of a sand dredging project at the Kirinda Fisheries Harbour to a Korean company. Despite being notified to appear before the CIABOC and provide a statement regarding the matter, he failed to do so, leading to the decision to arrest him.

The spokesperson also mentioned that several teams have been deployed separately to apprehend him. Although he was informed on multiple occasions to provide a statement in connection with the investigation, he repeatedly evaded doing so by presenting various false excuses, the Commission stated.

A medical report was submitted to the CIABOC through an attorney, claiming that Rajitha Senaratne is in poor health. However, the Commission noted that the report does not carry any legal validity.

It was further revealed that Rajitha Senaratne has claimed to be overseas and, by presenting various misleading statements, has been avoiding the Commission. Consequently, CIABOC officials recently informed the court and requested the issuance of an arrest warrant.

The magistrate affirmed that CIABOC has the authority to arrest suspects in connection with this incident and instructed that the suspect be arrested and produced in court using the powers vested in the Commission.

Unofficial sources indicated that Rajitha Senaratne is expected to appear before the court through his legal counsel.