The Police is awaiting a report from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) ahead of expediting the process of extraditing Singapore-based former Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) Arjuna Mahendran, Police Media Spokesman ASP F.U. Wootler told The Sunday Morning.

This is pursuant to a notice issued by former Colombo Chief Magistrate Thanuja Lakmali on 23 August for Mahendran, who has been named as a suspect in the 2015 CBSL bond scam, to appear before the said court on 26 September.

The court had issued the notice to Mahendran having considered a request made by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC).

Wootler said that, as was the norm in such matters, he had already sought a report on the former Governor of the CBSL from the CID and added that once it was received by him, he would be able to reveal further information in that regard.

Asked how long the process would take, the Police Media Spokesman said he could not give a timeline but guaranteed that once it was submitted, he would keep the media apprised.

Wootler also asserted that the Police Department was determined to expedite the process of sending the notice to Mahendran. 

This is amidst allegations that his department had failed to properly execute the notice to the former Governor despite a similar notice being issued by the court last year.

He dismissed claims that the Police Department had been dormant in effectively executing the notice issued to Mahendran by the Colombo Chief Magistrate’s Court and advised The Sunday Morning to bide time until the process took effect.

The CIABOC has filed the case against Mahendran under the Anti-Corruption Act. It charged that his actions had caused financial losses to the Government by selling bonds valued at over Rs. 10 billion to Perpetual Treasuries Ltd. owned by Mahendran’s son-in-law Arjun Aloysius during a bond auction conducted by the CBSL on 27 February 2015.

Efforts made by The Sunday Morning to obtain the views of Minister of Public Security Ananda Wijepala proved unsuccessful.