The Fort Magistrate’s Court has ordered the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to arrest former Minister Basil Rajapaksa and several others and to produce them before the court in connection with a case filed over the misuse of state funds.

Magistrate Pasan Amarasena issued the order directing the CID to arrest and produce former Minister Basil Rajapaksa, former Chairman of the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB) Bhashwara Gunaratne, and former SLTPB Managing Director Rumy Jauffer, among others, in connection with allegations of misusing Rs. 7.8 million in funds belonging to the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau for campaign activities during the 2014 Uva Provincial Council Election.

The Magistrate issued the order after the CID informed the court through a motion today (29) that the individuals have been named as suspects under the Offences Against Public Property Act, acting on the advice of the Attorney General.

The CID informed the court that, although officers had visited the residential addresses of the suspects to effect the arrests, the suspects were not present at those locations.

Considering a request to impose an overseas travel ban on the suspects, the Magistrate ordered a travel ban and directed that the Controller General of Immigration and Emigration be informed accordingly.

The CID further informed the court that in 2014, under the guise of tourism promotion, funds from the Tourism Promotion Bureau were used to print 12,000 T-shirts featuring a photograph of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa on one side and the name of a political party on the other.

Police further stated that these T-shirts were distributed for a political programme in the Monaragala District.