The Sri Lankan Finance Ministry is being queried on how approval was granted to establish a controversial ethanol distillery in Kalkudah, Batticaloa.
Permission was granted for the distillery, under then Finance Minister and current Foreign Minister Ravi Karunanayake, in violation of the Sri Lankan government’s National Drug Prevention Policy, the Sunday Times (Sri Lanka) reports.
The distillery is owned by Arjun Aloysius, the son-in-law of former Central Bank governor Arjuna Mahendran, who is currently being investigated over a bond scamming issue.
The establishment of the distillery faced fierce opposition from local residents and governance bodies, as well as civil society and religious groups.
Two Tamil journalists were also assaulted while seeking information about the distillery, sparking further protests in the area.
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