Sri Lankan authorities plan to arrest World Cup-winning cricket captain Arjuna Ranatunga on corruption charges related to his tenure as petroleum minister. This information was given to the court on Monday. According to the anti-corruption body, Ranatunga and his brother are accused of making immediate purchases at higher costs.

According to the commission set up to investigate allegations of bribery or corruption, the state suffered a total loss of 800 million Sri Lankan rupees (about Rs 23.5 crore) from 27 purchases made during the deals in 2017.

The commission told Colombo Magistrate Asanga Bodargama that Arjun was abroad and would be arrested upon his return.

The former minister’s elder brother Dhammika Ranatunga, who was then chairman of the state-owned Ceylon Petroleum Corporation, was arrested on Monday and later released on bail. The magistrate has imposed a travel ban on Dhammika. He holds dual citizenship of Sri Lanka and the United States. The next hearing is scheduled for March 13.

62-year-old left-handed batsman Arjun won the 1996 Cricket World Cup by defeating Australia, which was the biggest achievement in cricket for Sri Lanka.

The case against the Ranatunga brothers is part of a broader crackdown by the government of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake. Dissanayake came to power last year and promised to end corruption.

Another brother of the Ranatunga brothers, Prasanna, a former tourism minister, was arrested last month in an insurance fraud case. This case is still pending, but earlier in June 2022, he was convicted on charges of extortion from a businessman. He has been sentenced to two years of suspended imprisonment.

Arjun Ranatunga, who won the 1996 World Cup under his captaincy, may be arrested. Ranatunga may be arrested on corruption charges related to his tenure as Petroleum Minister, the court was told on Monday. Ranatunga and his brother are accused of making changes in the process of awarding oil purchase contracts and incurring higher costs.

A corruption watchdog said a total of 27 purchases were made, causing a loss of about 800 million Sri Lankan rupees to the country. This amount is equivalent to approximately Rs 23.5 crore in Indian currency. According to the commission formed to investigate allegations of corruption, this purchase was made in 2017.

The commission formed to investigate told the Colombo Magistrate that Arjun was abroad and would be arrested upon his return. Dhamika Ranatunga, brother of former Petroleum Minister Arjun Ranatunga, was arrested on Monday, later released on bail. Dhamika Ranatunga was the Chairman of Ceylon Petroleum Corporation, which came under the authority of the government, at the time of that purchase.

The magistrate has banned Dhamika from travelling. He has dual citizenship of Sri Lanka and USA. The next hearing on this matter is to be held on March 13. Another brother of Arjun Ranatunga, Prasanna, was arrested last month in an insurance fraud case. That case is still pending, but in June 2022, he was found guilty on charges of extortion from a businessman. Prasanna has been a former tourism minister.

In the final of the 1996 World Cup, the Sri Lankan team under the captaincy of Arjun Ranatunga had created history by defeating Australia by 7 wickets.

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