Sri Lanka Plans To Arrest 1996 World Cup-Winning Captain Arjuna Ranatunga Over Oil Scam Case
Sri Lanka Plans To Arrest 1996 World Cup-Winning Captain Arjuna Ranatunga Over Oil Scam Case
Former petroleum minister accused of causing Rs 23.5 crore loss to state; arrest likely after his return to the country
Sri Lankan authorities are preparing to arrest former cricket captain and 1996 World Cup hero Arjuna Ranatunga in connection with corruption charges linked to his tenure as petroleum minister, a court in Colombo was informed this week. The case relates to alleged irregularities in oil procurement that are said to have caused significant financial losses to the state.
According to the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption, Ranatunga and his brother Dhammika Ranatunga are accused of altering established procedures for awarding long-term oil supply contracts. Instead of following standard procurement norms, the commission alleges that spot purchases were made at higher prices, resulting in financial damage to the government.
The commission told Colombo Magistrate Asanga Bodaragama that the total loss to the state from 27 such oil purchases amounted to nearly 800 million Sri Lankan rupees, which is approximately Rs 23.5 crore. These transactions were carried out in 2017, during Arjuna Ranatunga’s term as petroleum minister.
Officials informed the court that Arjuna Ranatunga, who is currently abroad, will be taken into custody once he returns to Sri Lanka. He is 62 years old and remains one of the most recognisable figures in the country’s sporting history, having led Sri Lanka to its first and only Cricket World Cup title in 1996 after defeating Australia in the final.
Earlier this week, Dhammika Ranatunga, Arjuna’s elder brother and the former chairman of the state-owned Ceylon Petroleum Corporation, was arrested in connection with the same case. He was later released on bail, but the court imposed a travel ban on him. Dhammika holds dual citizenship of Sri Lanka and the United States.
The magistrate has scheduled the next hearing in the case for March 13.
The investigation into the Ranatunga brothers is part of a broader anti-corruption drive launched by the government of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, who came to power last year after pledging strong action against corruption across political and administrative institutions.
Another member of the Ranatunga family has also faced legal trouble recently. Prasanna Ranatunga, another brother and a former tourism minister, was arrested last month in connection with an insurance fraud case. That matter is still pending in court. Prasanna had earlier been convicted in June 2022 for extorting money from a businessman and is currently serving a two-year suspended prison sentence.
As legal proceedings move forward, the case has drawn widespread attention in Sri Lanka, given Arjuna Ranatunga’s iconic status in cricket and his prominent role in national politics after retirement from the sport.
