Arrest of Makadure Madush raises concerns on Arjun Mahendran and other fugitives at large

COLOMBO(News 1st) -  Following the arrest of Makadure Madush, views regarding former central bank governor Arjuna Mahendran and Former ambassador Udayanga Weerathunga were expressed in parliament today (February 06). Nalinda Jayatissa, JVP MP inquired into the whereabouts of  Arjun Mahendran and former Ambassador Udayanga Wijethunga who have been accused of several crimes including theft, murder, misappropriation of state funds and money laundering, and have been prosecuted by at least one court in Sri Lanka. He also asked what the charges brought against these individuals are and who was responsible for appointing such individuals to their respective positions. Ranil Wickremesinghe noted that the attorney general had informed him that this information was to be obtained from the 32 high courts and 49 magistrate courts in Sri Lanka. He said that a red alert through Interpol is issued in order to extradite perpetrators who are currently overseas. He added that if a suspect is currently residing in a country that has an extradition agreement with Sri Lanka, the ministry of foreign affairs would make requests to facilitate the extradition of these individuals from their respective countries. Following is the official website of the The International Criminal Police Organization, more commonly known as Interpol. However, based on the information that can be accessed by the public, the website does not reveal any information regarding the issuance of a red alert on Arjuna Mahendran, Udayanga Weerathunge or Makandure Madush. Nalinda Jayathissa responding to the prime minister asked: "just like local security forces were able to apprehend Makandure Madush what steps were followed to arrest Udayanga Weeratunga, Arjuna Mahendran, and Jaliya Wickremesuriya?" Ranil Wickremesinghe replied that he will produce complete reports adding that upon Sri Lankan government's request, the judiciaries of those countries can take a final decision. Following the prime minister's explanation, Nalinda Jayathissa protested that Ranil Wickramasinghe is using his usual tactics to elude the matter. He noted that prime minister has even gone to the length of protecting the relatives of Mahinda Rajapaksa in order to protect his friend Arjuna Mahendran. He added that if the Makandure Madush is extradited to Sri Lankan soil there is a possibility of him escaping the authorities. He stressed that even if he is punished through law a  presidential pardon could render all the effort to apprehend him useless. He added a bit from the recent past to support his opinion. "In October 2011 when the STF raided a house in Negombo belonging to a provincial councillor of the Western province and few of his relatives, the president of the country at the time who was also the Minister of Defence arrived at the scene in a helicopter and embraced the provincial councillor." Sarath Amunugama, UPFA MP also shared his thoughts on the issue. He noted that one of the biggest crimes in the country was the inability to hold criminals accountable. He said that most criminals would receive bail from the courts and migrate never to return. He asked what the government has done to avoid situations like these. He stressed that Arjun Mahendran is freely walking the streets of Singapore . He inquired into the recent developments on Mahendran and Interpol and why the suspects weren't arrested until the retirement of DIG Latiff. "if Mahendran isn't brought back and tried at a court in Sri Lanka the United National Party can never win an election in this country. " Sarath Amunuguma concluded.