A decision has been made to arrest former Sri Lankan cricket captain and ex-Minister of Petroleum Arjuna Ranatunga in a corruption case linked to controversial oil procurement deals.
The case relates to decisions taken during Ranatunga’s tenure as Petroleum Minister, where serious irregularities were allegedly committed in oil purchasing processes. Investigations reveal that Arjuna Ranatunga and his brother are accused of changing the approved long-term oil procurement procedure and instead purchasing oil on an urgent basis at significantly higher prices.
According to investigators, these decisions resulted in financial losses amounting to approximately 800 million Sri Lankan rupees to the state due to 27 oil purchases made during 2017.
Sources say that Arjuna Ranatunga is currently residing abroad. Authorities have confirmed that he will be arrested upon his return to Sri Lanka.
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Meanwhile, his elder brother Dhamika Ranatunga, who was serving as the Chairman of the state-owned Ceylon Petroleum Corporation at the time, was arrested a day earlier. He was later released on bail; however, the court has imposed a travel ban, barring him from leaving the country.
It is noteworthy that Dhamika Ranatunga holds dual citizenship of Sri Lanka and the United States. The Magistrate’s Court has scheduled the next hearing of the case for March 13.
