Former Minister Anura Priyadarshana Yapa and his wife have been arrested by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) on charges of criminal misappropriation of public funds and violations of the Public Property Act.
The arrest was made following instructions from the Attorney General. The charges stem from allegations that they misused Rs. 6,146,110 belonging to the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation. The funds were reportedly intended to provide relief to people displaced by floods in the Bingiriya and Narammala areas in late 2014. However, instead of using the money for relief efforts, the couple allegedly redirected the funds for campaign purposes during the 2015 presidential election.
The former minister and his wife are expected to be presented before the Colombo Magistrate’s Court on January 23, 2025. Further investigations into the case are being conducted by the CID.
