Sri Lanka's Anti-Corruption Crackdown: Arrests Continue

Colombo, August 29 (PTI) — In a continuation of the crackdown on corruption, two former political figures in Sri Lanka have been apprehended after surrendering to local courts on Friday. These latest developments follow closely on the heels of the arrest of former President Ranil Wickremesinghe on similar charges.

Rajitha Senaratne, a former minister, and Athuraliye Rathana, a former parliamentarian and Buddhist monk, had been at large before presenting themselves in court for their respective hearings. A magistrate's court ordered Senaratne to be detained until September 9, while Rathana was remanded until September 12 by a suburban court in Nugegoda, according to police sources.

Senaratne, a seasoned politician, faces charges related to the awarding of a suspicious contract to a Korean company for sand dredging activities, which allegedly resulted in financial losses for the government during his tenure as Minister of Fisheries in 2013.

On the other hand, Rathana has been evading capture in connection with a 2020 investigation concerning the abduction of Vedinigama Wimalathissa, a fellow Buddhist monk. The abducted monk asserts that Rathana orchestrated the kidnapping to coerce him into signing documents that would facilitate Rathana's appointment to parliament representing the Ape Janabala Party in the August 2020 parliamentary elections.

These arrests come in the wake of the August 22 detention of former President Ranil Wickremesinghe, who was taken into custody over allegations of state fund misuse, marking him as the first head of state in the nation to be both arrested and remanded.

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, who ascended to power last year, campaigned strongly on a platform of anti-corruption reforms.

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