• Only investigating crimes committed in the past that were ignored: Wijepala

Amid speculation over a possible arrest of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa (MR) following former President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s detention, the Government has denied any such plans, insisting investigations into alleged past crimes are impartial and handled by independent bodies.

Responding to questions about whether the Government intended to arrest former President Rajapaksa and other senior figures, Public Security Minister Ananda Wijepala stated: “There are no attempts to arrest anyone. That is not our motive.”

He maintained that the Government was simply investigating crimes that had been committed in the past that were otherwise ignored.

The Minister stressed that the investigations were being conducted impartially by independent bodies such as the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), Financial Crimes Investigation Department (FCID), cybercrime units, and the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) without interference of the Government.

“It really does not matter whether the person is a former president, minister, deputy minister, MP, or an ordinary person. If a crime has been committed, then they will have to answer,” he said. “We hold no bias even if they are from our own party.”

To underscore this point, Wijepala specifically addressed recent allegations against Energy Minister Kumara Jayakody, a member of the current Government. “If there are allegations against him, they will be investigated,” Wijepala affirmed. 

He noted that the decision on whether to arrest someone was the prerogative of the court and that the CIABOC was an independent body that did not fall under the purview of any ministry.

The Minister asserted that the Government did not engage in “vindictive politics” and was committed to strengthening the rule of law. “Nobody is above the law, and our Government does not care for caste or class or power, so any person, no matter which side they are on, will have to be arrested if they are in the wrong.”

The arrest of Wickremesinghe and the ongoing investigations against other prominent figures have drawn contrasting views from both sides of the political spectrum.

Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s Spokesperson Ravindra Manoj Gamage has also labelled the arrest of former President Wickremesinghe as an act of “political vengeance”. He stated that the Government had targeted the members of opposing factions and past governments and was antagonising the former leaders to its maximum capability.

He claimed that the Government had particularly targeted the Rajapaksa family. “Arresting Mahinda Rajapaksa will be a near-impossible task for the Government, but you can observe that they are targeting his other family members, Namal and Yoshitha Rajapaksa included.”

“Namal Rajapaksa is definitely a high-profile target for arrest,” Gamage added.

Meanwhile, Police Spokesperson ASP Fredrick Wootler also upheld the official stance, stating that the Police did not comment on specific ongoing cases.

He confirmed that any complaint reported to a Police station or the CID would be investigated and referred to a court of law if warranted. He also claimed that investigations were ongoing in several cases, and if the Police suspected that an arrest was warranted, such an arrest would be made in compliance with the laws and permission of the courts.