Senior journalist Uvindu Kurukulasuriya has released a recent photograph of former Central Bank Governor Arjuna Mahendran, who remains wanted in connection with the Central Bank bond scam in Sri Lanka.
Kurukulasuriya, who shared the photo on social media, said Mahendran had contacted him after nearly three years. In a post written in Sinhala, he claimed that Mahendran spoke to him about several matters and had asked him to convey advice to President Anura Dissanayake. Kurukulasuriya said he refused, adding that the conversation included “many stories” and that he has known Mahendran for nearly three decades.
Mahendran, who lives in Singapore, has been accused of involvement in the 2015 Central Bank bond scam, which caused significant financial losses to the state.
When Mahendran left Sri Lanka following the controversy, then Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe told Parliament that Mahendran had informed him he was leaving for Singapore to attend a wedding and would return shortly. However, Mahendran never came back to the country.
During his presidential campaign, President Anura Dissanayake pledged to bring Mahendran back to Sri Lanka to face legal proceedings. However, Singapore has previously declined Sri Lanka’s extradition request, citing the absence of a bilateral extradition treaty.
The release of the new photograph by Kurukulasuriya has reignited public attention on the long-pending efforts to bring Mahendran to justice. (Newswire)
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