The return of Udayanga Weeratunge

COLOMBO (News 1st) - Tuesday's (June 26th) newspapers reported that former President Mahinda Rajapaksa had made a statement that fugitive Udayanga Weeratunge, the former Sri Lankan Ambassador to Russia, will return to the country in a few days. The Mawbima newspaper reported that the former President had noted that a special motion would be filed at a court in Dubai, stating that Udayanga Weeratunga would return to Sri Lanka of his own accord. Rajapaksa had also questioned whether the Prime Minister will be able to intervene to secure the repatriation of Arjuna Mahendran. Minister of Disaster Management and Irrigation, Duminda Dissanayake speaking to the media today stated that if Mahinda Rajapaksa is saying that he will bring back a fugitive who has a red notice against him and is wanted by the courts, the backstory is that he can bring back someone who has been found guilty by the law. He questioned whether this means that Mahinda Rajapaksa was the man responsible for protecting Weeratunge?Minister Dissanayake said that this must be investigated as Mahinda Rajapaksa has a good history of protecting people involved in fraud and corruption. Deputy Minister of Public Administration, Law and Order, Nalin Bandara said that Mahinda Rajapaksa himself has admitted that Udayanga Weeratunge is functioning with his blessings and that he is a loyal servant. He added that much of the work concerning Udayanga Weeratunge has already been completed and he is currently imprisoned in Abu Dhabi on charges of using a falsified passport. The Deputy Minister was confident that they would be able to bring back Weeratunge soon and noted that people of this country understand the meaning behind the statement made by the former President. When journalists questioned whether PM Ranil Wickremesinghe would be able to bring Arjuna Mahendran back to the country, Bandara responded defensively and stated that Mahendra is not an official serving under the Prime Minister and that the Prime Minister does not know where he is.