Courtesy Adaderana

The Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court today issued warrants for the arrest of former Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake and 9 others over the Central Bank bond auctions of March 2016.

The Attorney General on Tuesday directed the Acting IGP to obtain arrest warrants against several suspects in the Central Bank bond scam case including the former Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake, former Governor of the Central Bank Arjuna Mahendran, Perpetual Treasuries Limited (PTL) owner Arjun Aloysius, CEO Kasun Palisena, former Director of the Public Debt Department of the Central Bank T.H.B. Sarathchandra and several others on charges of conspiracy, criminal misappropriation, cheating and market manipulation in respect of the bond auctions of March 2016.

In his letter to Acting IGP C.D. Wickramaratne, the Attorney General Dappula De Livera had states that there is reasonable suspicion against the following individuals with regard to the criminal wrongdoings which had occurred during the treasury bond issuances on March 29 and March 31, 2016 and that they could be considered as suspects:
 
1. Perpetual Treasuries Limited 
2. Sandesh Ravindra Karunanayake
3. Lakshman Arjuna Mahendran
4. Arjun Joseph Aloysius
5. Palisena Appuhamilage Don Kasun Oshada Palisena
6. Geoffrey Joseph Aloysius 
7. Chitta Ranjan Hulugalle
8. Muthuraja Surendran 
9. Ajahn Gardiye Punchihewa
10. Thuyya Handiyage Buddhika Sarathchandra
11. Sangarapillai Pathumanapan
12. Badugoda Hewa Indika Saman Kumara
 
The AG had instructs the Acting IGP to name the aforementioned individuals as suspects with the regard to the investigations, record statement from them and report information to the court naming them as suspects.

The AG further instructed to forward copies of their statements to him without delay and to carry out further investigations if necessary regarding the information uncovered from the statements.

He urged the police to report to the relevant magistrate’s court on the charges against them and to obtain warrants for their arrests.

On Wednesday, the Fort Magistrate stated that the decision on whether or not to issue arrest warrants on the accused would be announced today and imposed an overseas travel ban on the suspects.