"Gotabaya Rajapaksa cannot be trusted" - State Min. Ranjan Ramanayake

Colombo (News1st): State Minister Ranjan Ramanayake speaking to the media, after appearing before court on charges of Contempt, stated that Gotabaya Rajapaksa is not capable of obtaining the votes of the minorities in the country which he will need if he wants to become President. Ramanayake went onto note that due to his previous actions, Gotabaya would not be able to secure even 40% of the national vote. He added that due to the allegations of fraud and corruption against him, Gotabaya Rajapaksa cannot be trusted. The State minister noted that the allegations against Gota include the misuse of public funds for the construction of the D.A. Rajapaksa memorial museum, orchestrating the white van culture, sending a flight to Zurich to take his dogs and the alleged direct or indirect involvement in the murder of 36 journalists including Lasantha Wickramatunga. The state minister added that while he has no personal grudge against Gotabaya, it is difficult to trust an American citizen. He also stated that it is difficult to trust someone who dissapeared from the country for 15 years when others were fighting a war. The three-judge bench at the Supreme court ordered for the contempt of court case against Ranjan Ramanayake be taken up again on the 26th of March.