Sri Lanka’s Former Health Minister, Rajitha Senaratne, has been arrested following orders from Colombo’s High Court to reject a bail order issued for him.
Orders for his arrest were issued following a controversial media conference preceding the elections which discussed the “white van” disappearances.
During this conference, the Minister introduced Anthony Fernando who claimed that he was a white van driver who witnessed kidnappings and torture. Fernando stated that these abductions were conducted under the orders of Gotabaya Rajapaksa and with the knowledge of personnel attached to the Sri Lankan police and army, including a brigadier and major.
Read more here: ‘We fed bodies to crocodiles’ admits driver of Sri Lanka’s white vans
Senaratne was detained in December of last year and granted bail by the Colombo Magistrate on 30 December. Colombo’s High Court Judge, Manjula Tillakaratne, later overturned the decision maintaining that the Magistrate’s decision to release the former Health Minister was legally and incidentally flawed.
Tillakaratne asserted that Magistrate was wrong to assume that Senaratne would escape the judiciary after granted bail. In overturning the decision by the Magistrate, the High Court Judge has returned the case back to the Magistrate’s Court where it will be followed upon.
