By Skandha Gunasekara Former Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe yesterday (17) charged that the Yahapalana Government had knowingly targeted Avant Garde in a bid to apprehend President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. The former Minister made the allegation yesterday while giving evidence before the Presidential Commission appointed to investigate allegations of political victimisation. The Commission was investigating a complaint by Avant Garde Maritime Services Ltd. Chairman Maj. (Rtd.) Nissanka Senadhipathi to the effect that his group of companies had incurred heavy losses due to arbitrary and politically motivated decisions taken by the Yahapalana Government. Former MP Rajapakshe said that former Ministers Patali Champika Ranawaka, Dr. Rajitha Senaratne, and Arjuna Ranatunga had schemed to implicate President Gotabaya Rajapaksa – former Defence Secretary at the time – over alleged fraudulent dealings with Avant Garde Maritime Services Ltd. and have him arrested. “On repeated occasions, I told the (then) President (Maithripala Sirisena) and (then) Prime Minister (Ranil Wickremesinghe) that the agreement between the Government, Rakna Arakshaka Lanka Ltd., and Avant Garde was legitimate. Nevertheless, these three Ministers went ahead with (pursuing) the arrest,” Rajapakshe said. He said that officials of the Attorney General (AG)’s Department had been part of the collusion as well. “The Additional Solicitor General, Wasantha Bandara, went ahead with an arrest order for Senadhipathi, concealing the matter from his superior, Solicitor General Suhada Gamlath,” he said, adding that Bandara had acted upon the instructions of former Ministers Dr. Senaratne and Champika Ranawaka as well as Attorney-at-Law J.C. Weliamuna. Following summons by the Commission, former Minister Champika Ranawaka and former Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Head Shani Abeysekara were among those who appeared before the Commission. However, former MP Ranawaka chose to appear on a separate date with legal representation, upon being informed of the right to do so by the Commission. Meanwhile, a number of notable absentees were former Minister Dr. Senaratne, Ranatunga, former MP and Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) Leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake, former Chief of Defence Staff and former Navy Chief Ravindra Wijegunaratne, and Upul Jayasuriya PC. Following a request from the complainant’s counsel, the Commission opted to reissue summons before holding them in contempt. The next day of hearing is set for 23 June.