Former Minister Arjuna Ranatunga, who famously led Sri Lanka to its cricket World Cup victory, has been accused of corruption for allegedly causing a loss of Rs. 8 million along with his brother.
The Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption announced that former Chairman of the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation, Dhammika Ranatunga, was arrested at around 11:15 a.m. today (15).
Dhammika Ranatunga is accused of cancelling three long-term tenders scheduled for purchasing fuel for the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation for 2017–2018 and instead opting for immediate, irregular spot tenders at significantly higher prices.
According to a press release issued by the Commission, investigations revealed that this process caused the government a financial loss of nearly Rs. 800 million.
Dhammika Ranatunga is expected to be produced before the Colombo Chief Magistrate’s Court. The arrest follows a multi-year investigation, during which several additional facts have come to light.
Dhammika Ranatunga is the brother of former Petroleum Resources Development Minister Arjuna Ranatunga. During Arjuna Ranatunga’s tenure as Minister (2017–2018), Dhammika served as Chairman of the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation.
In 2018, petroleum trade unions strongly protested against the shift from long-term tenders to spot tenders, alleging that the move would lead to massive corruption. Both Dhammika Ranatunga and then-Minister Arjuna Ranatunga were previously summoned to give evidence before the Presidential Commission to Investigate Government Corruption regarding this matter. The main allegation was that the government lost approximately Rs. 700–800 million through spot tenders after cancelling long-term contracts.
Arjuna Ranatunga too has been named a a suspect in the case.
Another brother of Arjuna Ranatunga, Prasanna Ranatunga—then a Cabinet Minister in the Rajapaksa government—was convicted on 6 June 2022 for extorting money from a businessman over a land deal, marking a rare guilty verdict in a graft case in Sri Lanka.