The detention of one prominent opposition parliamentarian and the issuing of an arrest warrant for another dominated the headlines last week as political parties appeared to be bracing themselves for tumultuous times in the months ahead in anticipation of a general election in the first half of next year.
Former Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka was the first parliamentarian who was detained. Ranawaka was charged for his alleged involvement in a motor vehicle accident in 2016. It is alleged that Ranawaka was the driver of the vehicle involved in the accident which seriously injured one person. He was taken in to custody last Wednesday night by policemen who entered his residence at Jayanthipura, Battaramulla.
Ranawaka began his political career as a student leader at the Moratuwa University but later joined the Sihala Urumaya which evolved into the Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU). The JHU was known for its nationalist politics, advocating a hard line against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).
It is worthwhile noting that Ranawaka supported present Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa’s presidential election bids in 2005 and 2010. After the first he was appointed Minister of Environment and Natural Resources. After the second, he was appointed Minister of Power and Energy, a high-profile portfolio.
In 2015 however, Ranawaka supported the candidacy of Maithripala Sirisena and after his victory, was appointed Minister of Megapolis and Western Development, a portfolio he held until Premadasa’s defeat at the presidential election, following which he resigned.
Ranawaka’s decision to support the United National Front in 2015 led to a break-up of the Jathika Hela Urumaya, with Udaya Gammanpila forming the Pivithuru Hela Urumaya (PHU). The PHU and Gammanpila have been a part of the Joint Opposition (JO) and supported President Gotabaya Rajapaksa in his presidential election campaign. Gammanpila has been a vocal critic of Ranawaka since they parted ways.
Road traffic accident
Ranawaka has now been charged with allegedly causing grievous injury to a person by a rash and negligent act and for switching drivers in a road traffic accident. This relates to the accident in 2016 in which the vehicle in which Ranawaka was travelling in collided against a motorcycle, causing life-threatening injuries to its rider. The injured youth was identified as Sandeepa Sampath from the Godagama area.
The case was taken up before Colombo Additional Magistrate Kanchana Neranjala De Silva last Thursday, following Ranawaka’s detention on Wednesday night. Deputy Solicitor General (DSG) Dileepa Peiris, who appeared for the Attorney General, accused officers at the Welikada Police of being involved in a large-scale cover up during the initial investigation into the accident.
DSG Peiris informed court that statements recorded from two police constables on duty on the day of the incident revealed that they had removed the name of former minister Ranawaka from the original complaint on the instructions of the then Officer in Charge of the Welikada Police. He alleged that former Inspector General of Police Pujith Jayasundera was also involved in the alleged cover-up. Court has now ordered that a statement be recorded from Jayasundera as well.
Ranawaka’s driver, Thusitha Kumara had previously pleaded guilty after being charged at the Colombo Magistrate’s Court. This was despite two of the victim’s friends who witnessed the incident submitting sworn affidavits to court stating that the vehicle was driven by Ranawaka, DSG Peiris noted.
Although President’s Counsel Anuja Premaratne who appeared for Ranawaka argued for bail for his client, Ranawaka was remanded by the Magistrate as investigations were still underway. The denial of bail in particular led to allegations from the opposition that Ranawaka’s detention was politically motivated.
Speaker Karu Jayasuriya issued a statement asserting that police failed to respect parliamentary tradition by not informing him as the Speaker prior to arresting a parliamentarian. Deputy Speaker Ananda Kumarasiri has also sent a letter to the National Police Commission stating that police failed to follow the proper procedure laid down regarding the arrest of a MP.
Opposition politicians
Ranawaka was visited in prison by United National Party (UNP) leader Ranil Wickremesinghe, presidential candidate Sajith Premadasa and former minister Sarath Fonseka, among others. The opposition claims that the timing of the new investigation, the re-opening of a case where a court had already made a determination and the denial of bail to Ranawaka suggest a political witch-hunt rather than an attempt to seek justice for the victim of the accident.
Opposition politicians have claimed that Ranawaka is being specifically targeted because of his credentials as a prominent politician with Sinhala Buddhist affiliations. This was the segment of the population that was disenchanted with the UNP led coalition at the recent presidential election. They claim that moves against Ranawaka are an attempt to prevent the UNP from reaching out to this demographic.
On Tuesday, Ranawaka’s driver Thusitha Kumara surrendered to court. On the same day, Ranawaka was released on bail. However, prior to that, Kumara’s wife had filed a petition in the Supreme Court regarding an alleged incident in which she claims she was forcefully taken away from her residence.
The petitioner claimed that officers of the Colombo Crimes Division (CCD) had forcefully taken her away from her residence in Galle to Battaramulla along with her three-month old child and her mother-in-law on December 10. She is seeking a Supreme Court order ruling that the CCD’s actions violated her fundamental rights.
Soon after the reports of Ranawaka’s arrest, there were reports suggesting that former Health Minister Rajitha Senaratne may also be detained. This was in relation to a press briefing he held during the presidential election campaign.
Ironically, like Ranawaka, Senaratne also served in the Cabinets of Mahinda Rajapaksa, first as Minister of Construction and Engineering Services in 2007 and then as Minister of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Development in 2010.
Senaratne was one of the high-profile ministers to walk out of the Mahinda Rajapaksa Cabinet in the lead up to the 2015 presidential election, in support of Maithripala Sirisena. While in the UNP led government, Senaratne was Cabinet spokesman and was outspoken in his criticism of the preceding regime but some of the claims he made as government spokesman were later refuted.
The press conference presided over by Senaratne and held six days before the presidential election was attended by two persons who were later identified as Anthony Douglas Fernando and Athula Sanjeewa Madanayake. They made allegations regarding “white vans”, claiming that they were used for abductions and the transport of gold during the tenure of previous governments headed by Mahinda Rajapaksa.
Fernando and Madanayake have since been detained, produced in court and remanded. It was following these developments that former minister Senaratne sought anticipatory bail from court. In his bail application Senaratne claimed that the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) is preparing to arrest and remand him based on the statements made by these two persons who have a criminal record.
Senaratne’s counsel, Wasantha Navaratne Bandara submitted to court that the two men had declared in a statement to the CID that they had informed the media about the white van abductions and Prabhakaran’s gold at the instigation of the former Minister Rajitha Senaratne. In their statements to the CID, they have reportedly claimed that Senaratne had given them two million rupees and promised them employment.
Arrest warrant on Minister Senaratne
Senaratne’s application for anticipatory bail was deferred until next Monday despite objections raised by DSG Dileepa Peiris. Nevertheless, on Tuesday Attorney General Dappula De Livera directed the CID to obtain an arrest warrant and detain former Minister Senaratne over the “white van” press conference.
At the time of writing, Senaratne is yet to be arrested but he is likely to remain in the news in the days to come as further developments in this matter are very likely. The opposition is bound to claim that yet another political witch-hunt is underway but the government is expected to counter that claim with the assertion that it is only allowing justice to take its course and remedying the alleged attempts to pervert the course of justice.
The detention and arrest of politicians has occurred from time to time in Sri Lankan politics and Ranawaka and Senaratne are not the first suffer this fate.
While there is a possibility that these events could seriously hinder their short-term political prospects, they could also be portrayed as political victims by the opposition.
With a general election due early next year, these events should also be viewed in that perspective. Despite the wheels of justice now seemingly turning against Ranawaka and Senaratne, it is unlikely that any potential court cases against them would be concluded before the election.
Hence, they would able to contest these polls- a factor which could paradoxically work in their favour, if they are portrayed by the opposition as political victims. The discerning voter will no doubt follow the events related to Patali Champika Ranawaka and Rajitha Senaratne with great interest in the days to come.
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