Deadly Deals in Dubai?

By Kassapa

Last week’s allegations, made in court, that Samagi Jana Balavegaya (SJB) Horana Organiser Charith Abeysinghe and Rakhitha Rajapakshe, son of former Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe tried to broker the safety and release of underworld figure Nadun Chinthaka Wickramaratne (also known as ‘Harak Kata’) in return for millions of rupees had Colombo’s political world in shock. Even by their low standards, this was utterly unexpected. “How could they?’ was the question being asked in many a political conclave.

To be fair to the suspects, it must be noted that these are as yet allegations only, allegations that have been categorically denied by both Abeysinghe and Rajapakshe in court. As anyone else, they are entitled to the presumption of innocence and we must respect that.

The accusations have been made by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) and are based on events that are said to have allegedly occurred in March 2023. To provide context, this was the period after the ‘aragalaya’. Gotabaya Rajapaksa had resigned. Ranil Wickremesinghe was President. Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe was Minister of Justice, Prison Affairs and Constitutional Reforms.

It is alleged that, during a meeting in Dubai, Abeysinghe and Rajapakshe impressed upon Wickramaratne’s wife that he could be killed by Police but they could ensure his safety, transfer him to a different location and engineer his eventual release. It is alleged they mentioned the names of then Inspector General of Police Deshabandu Tennakoon and Secretary to the President Saman Ekanayake as persons who need to be paid for this to happen. It is also alleged a sum of Rs. 500 million was needed. This was later negotiated to Rs. 200 million and an ‘advance’ of Rs. 120 million was allegedly paid.

There are some audio tapes circulating on social media which suggest such a transaction but its authenticity has not been proven yet. Time will tell whether CIABOC investigators have the necessary evidence to prosecute and convict Abeysinghe and Rajapakshe. It is certain that at least the latter will have the best legal in the country minds working on his case. Until then, despite the backlash on both social and mainstream media, they must be deemed innocent.

Nevertheless, the political fallout has already begun. The worst affected is Charitha Abeysinghe. A former actor, he was one of several younger generation SJB politicians who began their political journey in the SJB itself, not being among those who defected from the United National Party (UNP).

When he entered politics, Abeysinghe was already a well-known figure because of his artistic exploits. Even so, he could not enter Parliament at the 2024 general elections which he contested from the Colombo district. In the past two years he maintained a high profile, appearing on behalf of the party on many a television talk show, sometimes making controversial utterances. Most importantly, within the party, he was seen as a staunch loyalist of SJB and Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa. In fact, there was speculation that Premadasa was using Abeysinghe to attack those Premadasa perceived as ‘rivals’ within the SJB.

Despite all this, hours after news of Abeysinghe’s arrest emerged, he was suspended from his post as the Horana organiser of the SJB and all other positions he held in the party. Party secretary Ranjith Madduma Bandara went so far as to point out that Abeysinghe was not a member of the SJB when the alleged offences were said to have been committed. Obviously, the SJB wants to have nothing to do with Abeysinghe now.

At least in this instance, Premadasa has been swift and decisive. Even if his party does not have a squeaky-clean image, he does not want this type of deadly serious allegations making the SJB another ‘pohottuwa’, or Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP), in the eyes of the public. For all intents and purposes, Charitha Abeysinghe appears to be politically dead, at least until these court proceedings are concluded.

Rakhitha Rajapakshe’s detention is different. He is no politician but his plight will impact on his father Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe’s political prospects. The senior Rajapakshe began his political career in the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and was an exemplary politician at the outset when he chaired the Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE). He criticised the government while being in government and had to leave, the UNP eagerly grabbing him.  The same UNP then stripped him of his Cabinet portfolio when he criticised the ‘yahapalanaya’ government. He was President of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka when the Association vehemently opposed the Mahinda Rajapaksa government’s impeachment of then Chief Justice Shirani Bandaranayake.   

Rajapakshe (Snr.) was miffed when Gotabaya Rajapakshe ignored him in his Cabinet appointments. He was soon back in Cabinet under Ranil Wickremesinghe and that this is when it is alleged Rakhitha Rajapakshe tried to broker Wickremaratne’s release in Dubai. At the last presidential election, Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe ran as a presidential candidate, opposing the likes of Wickremesinghe, Premadasa and Namal Rajapaksa, all persons he has worked with politically at one time or another.

Of late, Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe has been a political nomad of sorts, shifting from one camp to another, not being wholly accepted anywhere and being unable to put down firm roots to further his political ambitions. At one time, he was even made Chairman of a moribund SLFP, a position he gleefully accepted. With such actions, he made more enemies than friends.  

Thus far, there has been no evidence produced against Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe in this alleged incident. Nevertheless, Rakhitha Rajapakshe is his son and Rajapakshe (Snr.) was Minister of Justice and Prison Reforms at the time of the alleged offence. These circumstances could lead to unsavoury inferences being made by the general public.

Most interestingly, opposition political parties, who are usually quick to scream ‘political victimisation’ when CIABOC detains politicians or those linked to them have maintained a deafening silence on this matter, the only statement coming from the SJB disowning Abeysinghe. That itself tells a story: both Charitha Abeysinghe and Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe may have already reached a dead end in their political careers.