Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka launched a scathing attack on former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, accusing him of corruption, betrayal, and misuse of state property, while declaring that according to the Constitution, Rajapaksa “deserves death by hanging.”
Commenting on a statement issued by Rajapaksa’s spokesperson regarding delays in handing over the former president’s official residence at Wijerama, Fonseka alleged that valuable state assets had been unlawfully transferred from the President’s House and Temple Trees to the private residence.
Quoting the spokesperson’s claim that the Rajapaksa camp was waiting for state departments to conclude the inventory of state assets before removing personal items, Fonseka ridiculed the explanation.
“Do you believe that Mahinda Rajapaksa who spent Rs. 500 million to repair the house, will at least bring a coconut scraper purchased out of his own money?” he asked.
Fonseka claimed that the Wijerama residence contained many imported and luxurious goods such as furniture and gifts moved there from official state properties.
“If I was the Justice Minister, I would have filed the first case against Rajapaksa for moving the precious items from the President’s House and Temple Trees to the Wijerama residence. He can be arrested within 24 hours,” he said.
He further alleged that the Rajapaksas were attempting to manipulate the absence of an inventory to delay returning the property. “If there is no inventory for these items, who was there at these houses? In one there was Gotabaya and in the other one Mahinda. Then the occupants should be responsible for this. Because there is no inventory, they say the goods cannot be moved. And because they cannot be removed, they say their personal items can’t be removed. Look at this statement. This is how the Rajapaksas are,” Fonseka said, likening the former president to a “blood-sucking snake.”
Despite numerous allegations and ongoing court cases involving members of the Rajapaksa family, Fonseka accused the former president of continuing to exploit the public. Urging the government to act decisively, he said: “No matter how much this government boasts of their anti-corruption drive, if they cannot properly act against Mahinda Rajapaksa, we cannot accept that they fixed this country,” he said.
Recalling the final days of the war, Fonseka charged that Rajapaksa’s decision to declare a ceasefire was intended to allow LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran to escape.
“Mahinda Rajapaksa must explain why he ordered a ceasefire during the final days of the war,” he said. “If this was some other country, Mahinda Rajapaksa would have been killed by hanging him from the feet for this act of treachery. According to our constitution as well, the punishment he deserves is death by hanging,” he said.
Fonseka said that while he holds no personal animosity toward the former president, Rajapaksa’s betrayal of the country must be met with justice. He said that a massive corrupt network was encouraged from the Ports, the Petroleum Corporation, drug mafia, weapons importers, the Customs, Inland Revenue Department and the Department of Motor Traffic.
He also recalled the treatment of war veterans under the Rajapaksa administration, saying, “Prabhakaran never tried to attack our families despite us waging war. But Rajapaksas are not like that,” while adding that Namal Rajapaksa’s recent remarks expressing sympathy toward Fonseka were surprising.
Fonseka called on the government to launch a high-level inquiry into his allegations. “This government has a duty to launch the highest-level investigation — even a presidential commission — to determine why Mahinda Rajapaksa betrayed the country,” he said.
While acknowledging the government’s anti-corruption efforts, Fonseka said, “I appreciate the government’s resolve to combat corruption and its stance against protecting criminals, but there remains much more to be done,” he said. (Newswire)