A Colombo court has issued an arrest warrant for former Health Minister Rajitha Senaratne over a multi-million-rupee fisheries harbour project scandal. The Bribery Commission alleges he evaded questioning, obstructed investigations, and bypassed legal procedures, prompting a search across five locations.
The Colombo Magistrate’s Court today (August 12) issued warrants for the arrest and production of former Health Minister Rajitha Senaratne, named as a suspect in a high-profile investigation by the Bribery Commission.
The order was delivered by Colombo Additional Magistrate Pasan Amarasena after the Bribery Commission alleged that the former minister was actively obstructing its investigation by repeatedly avoiding summons to give a statement.
The case was taken up through a motion where Assistant Legal Director of the Bribery Commission, Sulochana Hettiarachchi, outlined the allegations. She told the court that on May 19, 2012, while serving as Fisheries Minister, Rajitha Senaratne approved a controversial project to remove sand that had filled the Kirinda Fisheries Harbour and sell it in the local market. The proposal came from a Korean company named Sea Woo Private Limited.
Normally, such a project requires submission to a Cabinet sub-committee, along with environmental and technical reports, before approval is granted. However, according to the Bribery Commission, Senaratne bypassed these procedures, relying solely on a report from the Chairman of the Fisheries Harbours Corporation before giving the green light.
After winning the project, Sea Woo Private Limited was allegedly found to lack the necessary equipment to remove the sand. As a result, the Fisheries Harbours Corporation was forced to provide the company with facilities, including the vessel “Weligovwa,” to carry out the work. The Bribery Commission alleges this caused the corporation a financial loss exceeding Rs. 26.2 million.
The investigation has been ongoing for months. Despite multiple summons, Rajitha Senaratne has allegedly failed to appear before the Bribery Commission to provide a statement. Hettiarachchi further alleged that both Rajitha Senaratne and his son, Chathura Senaratne, attempted to influence public opinion by making statements to the media, effectively obstructing the investigation.
The court also heard that Senaratne had filed an anticipatory bail application seeking to prevent his arrest, but this was rejected by the Colombo Magistrate’s Court. A subsequent revision petition filed with the Colombo High Court has, according to the Bribery Commission, not yet resulted in any formal notice being served.
When asked if there was a High Court order preventing the arrest, the Bribery Commission confirmed that no such order existed. Investigators told the court they had searched five possible locations where Senaratne was believed to be staying, but he could not be found. They requested a warrant for his arrest, citing his continued absence and alleged obstruction of justice.
After reviewing the facts, Colombo Additional Magistrate Pasan Amarasena ordered that an arrest warrant be issued and that the suspect be produced before court.
Earlier, on July 18, Colombo Chief Magistrate Thanuja Lakmali Jayatunga had rejected Senaratne’s anticipatory bail request, made to the Bribery Commission before any arrest. This earlier ruling also followed legal arguments from both Senaratne’s legal team and Bribery Commission officials.
The latest court order now sets in motion an active search for the former minister, as the Bribery Commission intensifies its investigation into the multi-million-rupee Kirinda Harbour sand removal project.
