The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a media release claims that the former Ambassador to Russia and Ukraine Udayanga Weeratunga has been prevented from leaving the United Arab Emirates by authorities in that country.
Udayanga
Weeratunga, who has been evading a warrant of arrest issued on 20 October 2016 by a Colombo Magistrate, has to wait until UAE Police completes an investigation into Weeratunga’s status in view of intervention by Ministry officials.
Weeratunga earlier stated in a Facebook post that he had been questioned by UAE Police and released thereafter. The Ministry release claims that a legal hitch with respect to UAE law and rules governing the ‘blue notice’ issued by Interpol which has been alerted by Sri Lankan authorities to apprehend Weeratunga.
The full text of the media release is given below:
Mr. Udayanga Weeratunga, the former Ambassador to Russia and Ukraine had been evading a warrant of arrest issued on 20 October 2016 by a Colombo Magistrate, in relation to investigations pertaining to alleged embezzlement of public funds to the tune of 7.833 million US dollars with regard to procurement of MiG aircraft and money laundering. On the basis of a Blue Notice obtained by Interpol Sri Lanka on Mr. Weeratunga, Sri Lanka authorities has been working through mutual legal assistance with a number of countries to trace his whereabouts. He was intercepted in the UAE on Sunday 4th of February 2018 when he attempted to leave to the United States. This arrest was made on the basis of a ‘Blue Notice’ issued by the Interpol. The purpose of this notice was to trace and locate Mr. Weeratunga ‘as a person of interest in a criminal investigation’. However, as the law in the UAE and the rules governing Interpol ‘blue notice’ prevented the continued detention of Mr. Weeratunga, he had been released by the UAE authorities subsequently. And he presently remains in the UAE. The Police in the UAE are investigating this matter and Mr. Weeratunga has been prevented from leaving the territory of the UAE until the conclusion of these investigations. In the meantime, the FCID, which is investigating the allegations and complaints against Mr. Weeratunga in Sri Lanka, are working with the Interpol in Abu Dhabi on this case. The Sri Lankan Embassy in Abu Dhabi has also retained Lawyers in the UAE specializing in immigration matters to advice the Government of Sri Lanka on this matter. Moreover, a delegation of Sri Lankan officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Attorney General’s Department and the FCID are presently in the UAE having discussions with the concerned authorities in the UAE with the aim of having Mr. Weeratunga deported to Sri Lanka to answer the allegations leveled against him.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Ministry of Law & Order
Mallaiyuran / February 10, 2018
This is intentionally cheating statement.
1). There is no explanation why INTERPOL was issued blue notice. In October 2016 the court found Udayanga as “Person of Interest” and ordered to appear in front of Court. He didn’t. Then it was contempt of court and no longer he is a person of interest, but has committed a crime. Udayanga, when he came out of INTERPOL arrest, he said Lankawe Courts have concocted case against him and he has no intention of submitting him to that. Apparently he is challenging the Law Order Ministry. If he is a wanted person and he is refusing to come, then why didn’t Yahapalanaya issue a new red notice. Can the Law and Order Ministry explain if he is not a wanted person, why is it following after him and wasting the people money? He has connection with Russia. If he files a one Billion Rubles lawsuit and Lankawe is not paying it, isn’t Lankawe tea going to be infested with bug for years to come? Why Yahapalanaya is doing this silly, hanky-panky lousy joke?
2).Nowhere it is saying why UAE is holding a person after INTERPOL has cleared him. After all there is no contract between UAE and Lankawe to arrest a person for crime committed in reciprocating country. Is there a law in UAE just the law official can point their finger to any one order them not to leave the country. After all Udayanga has not backed up this satirical comedy of “Lawless and Order less” Ministry of Lankawe that he is held in UAB, but he has said clearly that he is not coming to Lankawe.
Why Yahapalanaya sending a team to UAE? Apparently what is happening here is some kind of Kodukkal Vaankkal” going on (give and take). Other than that all what Colombo Media said about Udayanga is only another Mahavamsa fraud, Intended to LG election!
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Sam Fernando / February 11, 2018
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Emil van der Poorten / February 11, 2018
Simple Realities
The trail from Udayanga leads to other, significantly senior, members of the previous regime. The reason that due process of law is not being pursued against Mr. Weeratunga is because the current government – particularly its “movers and shakers”- don’t want to prosecute those top rankers from the MR gang with whom, it is becoming conclusively apparent, they have an “understanding.”
Consider the fact that Frederica Jansz, several years after having to run for her life, is still in the US, unable to return because the spurious charges levelled against her have not (will not?) be dropped. Her connection to this whole sorry mess is that she is the journalist (together with the now-executed Lasantha Wickremetunge) who opened the whole MIG can of worms.
Every effort that Frederica has made to have this injustice terminated so that she could, at least, return for a holiday have been unsuccessful. Perhaps, some of those showing support to her at the time of her original exile could explain why they don’t want her back in Sri Lanka.
Unuth ekai, munuth ekai, as the JVP says!
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Analyst / February 10, 2018
Mallaiyuran
Find a truly qualified Attorney/Lawyer fully qualified who had read all the law books ( English/ Singlish)
version and understood the true purpose of being qualified as a LAWYER . OR are they just LOWYERS.??
They haven’t got a clue of what a Lawyers duties are or even why they’re called Lawyers
This is Srilankan education.
Why did they fail to issue Red Notice on Udayanga??
What the hell ? And what crap Lawyers are they??
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mike / February 10, 2018
Analyst – Talking of “LOWYERS” we have one of Sri Lanka’s eminent synthetic “lowyer” well-known for his versatile understanding of womens’ affairs, Member of Parliament, Namal Rajafucksha.
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umberto / February 10, 2018
The notice was issued in BLUE, the colour of the party in power i.e. SLFP and RED which is communist . This is SRILANKA.
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Douglas / February 10, 2018
On what passport he arrived in UAE in transit to USA? The Ukraine Government is reported to have said that this man must be sent back to Ukraine as he is a citizen of that country. That is why I raised this question of passport in transit to USA? If he came into UAE on a Sri Lanka passport, he cannot be allowed to proceed to USA without a proper visa entry. If he arrived in UAE as a citizen of Ukraine, he must be in possession of a Ukarianien passport. In that case how come he is holding a Sri Lankan passport? These are first and foremost problems that the Sri Lankan Authorities have to sort out. In the event he is a citizen of Ukraine as claimed by that country, that “Interpol Warrant” and all other extradition matters have to be settled in a different way. What the Sri Lankan authorities are doing at this moment could be another “Show Off” or a “Circus” with clowns at the ring. In the absence of n “Official” communication from Sri Lanka Authorities, we at a loss to understand what is really going on in the “Stage” and “Behind” the stage.
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Native Vedda / February 11, 2018
Douglas
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Can you not send super hero super smart ass patriot Brigadier Priyanka Fernando to catch Udayanga Weeratunga, wherever he is and bring him back to Sri Lanka.
Then the government can free him without any charges.
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Park / February 10, 2018
Only a Blue notice was issued and there was no Red notice. Under the Blue notice only an inquiry be done. With the Red notice a person can be arrested. At least now, why is the Attorney General not approaching the Courts to issue a Red notice to arrest him and deport him to Sri Lanka. Is this another deal like how Gotabaya case was handled?
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Luis / February 10, 2018
Oh what a circus…Oh what a show!!
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ruwan weerakoon / February 10, 2018
There is a guy in the BBC sinhala service who is udayanga’s henchman and also former property care taker of udayanga in London.This guy has Russian connections and unethicaly supports the mahinda camp .
, he is spreading false info and enlisting the support of his brother who is in the foreign service.he is useing the BBC Sinhala website and calling other media to spread the story that udayanga is free.
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K.Pillai / February 10, 2018
Udayanka Weeratunge seems to have money to burn. Probably he never allowed for a change in regime and is clearly not enjoying life as a fugitive.
Tempted to say “Karma at work!”
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thondamannay / February 10, 2018
Udayanga awaits the Sri Lanka Team to take them shopping, to entertain them and to enable them to have a good time at his expense.
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Kamalawathie Sameer / February 10, 2018
thondamannay – Does the Sri Lanka Team include former “Ambassador” Bandula Jayasekera and Rajkattapal Abeynayake? They are both familiar with the entertainment districts in Geneva!
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Spring Koha / February 10, 2018
Any chance that our super-efficient Foreign Ministry can do a deal and send this naughty diplomutt together with the dumb brigadier into exile; perhaps in the Ukraine. Talk about killing two birds with one stone!
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kolla / February 10, 2018
Another big flop of Sagala and chaps. Blundering confusion everywhere ! If they cannot do a job why do they want to get into politics and ruin everything ?
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gamini / February 10, 2018
Gota denied of any correspondence reference regards MIG deal. Then Lasantha reproduced number of letters exchanged between Udayanga W and Gota to prove other wise. Udayanga became suspicious of his business partner cum cook in his service of leaking the letters. Business partner cum cook died an unnatural death, His body was brought down at his family’s request but was sealed. Apart from financial fraud this man Udayanga Weeratunge should be tried for Murder.
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Lanki / February 10, 2018
Attorney General, Sagala and Thalatha need a lesson on the difference between a BLUE Interpol notice and a RED Interpol notice.
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Ukkussa / February 10, 2018
Typical bungling by foreign affairs ministry.They say one thing now and then say something a minute later.Just a few days ago they bungled by trying to suspend brigadier Fernando in London Sri Lanka high commission and President canceled the suspension as it was done without asking him.Suspension can take place only after a inquiry.
How can Foreign affairs ministry function properly when Secretary is taking instructions from a junior bitchy lesbo woman officer?Both of them always having long talks at office or in the woman’s apartment.Foreign ministry is finished by these two people.
Secretary now secretly planning to get a transfer to a SRI Lanka UN mission in New York.He don’t care.He is now 68 years old.Aney what for telling.
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Plato. / February 10, 2018
Lanki.
The AG, Sagala, and Thalatha are all colour blind. First they need to check it out with with an opthalmologist!
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RP / February 14, 2018
The team that went to ‘arrest’ Udayanga has come back empty handed today (Feb 13, 2018). The expenses incurred by the team is not known yet, but it would be 7 figure amount in Rupees. What a waste of tax-payers’ money!
No wonder, the new party (Pohottuwa) making inroads!
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