National People’s Power MP Jagath Manuwarna has defended himself in Parliament, revealing that his arrest warrant in a 17-year-old financial fraud case was legally recalled within 24 hours, blaming sensational media coverage for distorting the facts.
Speaking in Parliament, MP Jagath Manuwarna clarified that his warrant in the alleged Rs. 250 lakh financial fraud case had already been withdrawn a day after it was issued. He said certain media outlets had falsely reported that he entered Parliament while a warrant was still active against him, which he described as a serious misrepresentation.
Manuwarna explained that he had submitted the required legal documents to court to excuse his absence from the hearing, but the court had refused to accept them, leading to the issuance of the warrant. “Legal steps were immediately taken to withdraw the warrant the following day,” he said, adding that the case itself dates back nearly 17 years.
Legal experts confirmed that the case relates to an alleged financial fraud involving Rs. 25 million, but that there were no irregularities in the documentation submitted to withdraw the warrant. They noted that while the MP had every right to clarify the legal process, his delay in informing the media allowed the issue to spiral unnecessarily.
Manuwarna emphasized that the matter could have been resolved quietly but was instead blown out of proportion by misleading reports, calling it “a story that went too far without reason.”
