After bringing an finish to his cricketing profession, the Sri Lankan World Cup-winning captain from 1996, Arjuna Ranatunga, went on to turn into the nation’s Minister of Petroleum. He’s now more likely to be arrested on corruption expenses by the Lankan authorities.
Sri Lanka has been present process a really unhealthy part lately, with the dearth of correct political infrastructure. The Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s authorities, which got here to energy final 12 months after pledging to behave in opposition to corruption, was later discovered entangled in a bigger internet of corruption.
Not too long ago, Arjuna Ranatunga, the previous Sri Lankan skipper who captained them to victory within the 1996 Cricket World Cup by defeating the mighty Aussies within the finals, has additionally been discovered accused in a corruption case.
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Arjuna Ranatunga to be arrested on corruption expenses
Sri Lankan authorities have deliberate to arrest the nation’s former males’s nationwide cricket workforce captain, Arjuna Ranatunga, on expenses associated to corruption throughout his time because the petroleum minister of the nation.
The previous Sri Lankan skipper and his brother have been accused of getting altered the process for awarding long-term oil procurement contracts. The duo have been as a substitute concerned in making spot purchases at costs increased than typical, as per the stories of a corruption watchdog.
This case can be a part of the large Ranatunga brothers rip-off, which is a part of the broader crackdown by the federal government in Sri Lanka, which crashed following corruption expenses being levied on them.
Here is what the Investigative Fee’s report discovered
The fee advised Colombo Justice of the Peace Asanga Bodaragama that Arjuna Ranatunga is presently not within the nation and could be arrested on his return to the nation for his fraudulent schemes.
“The full loss to the state from 27 purchases is 800 million rupees,” the Fee to Examine Allegations of Bribery or Corruption advised the court docket, as reported by information company AFP. The quantity was discovered to be equal to over $5 million on the time when the offers have been made 8 years again in 2017.
One of many Ranatunga brothers was already arrested final month in Sri Lanka
Arjuna Ranatunga’s elder brother, Dhammika Ranatunga, was the then-chairman of the state-run Ceylon Petroleum Company on the time. He was arrested on Monday however was later launched on bail.
Whereas granting the bail, the Justice of the Peace imposed a journey ban on Dhammika because the elder brother of the previous Sri Lankan captain holds twin citizenship of each Sri Lanka and the USA.
One other brother of the Ranatungas, Prasanna Ranatunga, the previous tourism minister, was arrested final month in reference to insurance coverage fraud. Nevertheless, the minister was convicted again in 2022 for extorting cash and is presently serving his two-year suspended jail sentence.
The one brother of the Ranatungas left is the previous Sri Lanka captain, who has additionally been linked with the net of corruption and might be arrested anytime quickly, whereas the subsequent listening to for the case of his elder brother is scheduled for the thirteenth of March.
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