Sri Lanka’s 1996 World Cup winning captain and former petroleum minister Arjuna Ranatunga and his brother, former chairman of the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation Dhammika Ranatunga, were last week indicted at the Colombo High Court on corruption charges linked to fuel tenders.
Even though the case allegedly resulted in a loss of nearly Rs. 800 million to the Island, both high profile brothers were Immediately released on bail.
The case against the Ranatunga brothers is part of a wider crackdown by the government of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, who came to power last year on a pledge to tackle endemic corruption.
The charges are serious and of big magnitude! Arjuna and his brother are accused of changing the procedure for awarding long-term oil procurement contracts, making spot purchases at a higher cost, a corruption watchdog said. “The total loss to the state from 27 purchases is 800 million Sri Lankan rupees (approx Rs 23.5 crore),” at the time the deals were made in 2017, according to the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption.
Even then, surprisingly, In the manner both were presented at the court and granted bail, it looked like mere a formality!
In contrast, former Minister of Ports, Shipping and Aviation Johnston Fernando was arrested in January In connection with the alleged misuse of a Sathosa vehicle during his tenure and is still In jail.
This inequality in Justice once again raises concerns regarding the influence of certain powerful individuals over the judiciary in the country, which shows that the rich and influential receive preferential treatment.
