A former major fundraiser for the Obama campaign that was paid more than US$6.5 million by the Sri Lankan government to lobby US officials is now facing charges of tax evasion and failing to declare his work for Colombo.

Imaad Shah Zuberi is accused of violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act and making illegal campaign contributions, which included funnelling money in an attempt to influence US elections.

Of the estimated US$ 6.5 million paid by Sri Lanka to Zuberi, US$ 5.65 million is thought to have been spent on personal uses.

The former head of Sri Lanka’s army has predicted that attacks on Muslims will resume after Saturday’s presidential elections, in a stark warning last week.

Mahesh Senanayake, who is himself running as a candidate in the presidential elections, warned that “extremists” had backed one of the presidential candidates and would continue harassing and attacking Muslims once the elections had taken place this weekend.

"I am talking with a sense of responsibility,” Senanayake told a civil society audience in Colombo last week. 

Lasantha Wijeratne, a journalist and writer, was attacked on Thursday after he had published a book entitled “Wasteful Development and Corruption”, which was critical of Sri Lanka’s opposition candidate Gotabaya Rajapaksa.

Speaking to reporters his wife, Tharaka Nanayakkara, told reporters “Four men broke into the house and stabbed him in the arm after holding a pistol to his wife's head”. Before leaving they also destroyed the furniture. 

Wijeratne had sent a copy of his book to the New Democratic Front candidate Sajith Premadasa prior to the attack.

No matter what the result of Sri Lanka’s presidential election this weekend, neither of the leading candidates will meet Tamil demands for equal rights and accountability, writes journalist J S Tissainayagam in an article for the Asian Correspondent on Friday.

Ahead of tomorrow’s polls, Tissainayagam says that “the choice for the Tamils is between an unsympathetic candidate and an apathetic candidate”.

The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) has slammed a report on Sri Lanka’s Hiru News, which alleges that there has been a legal case filed against the part for “attempted secession”, as “irresponsible journalism” and denied all such claims.

The report, which comes a day before Sri Lanka’s presidential elections, claimed that the TNA was attempting to create a separate state for Tamils.

“There was no such agreement with anyone providing for the division of the country,” said the TNA in a tweet today. “This is irresponsible journalism at its worst.”

Nearly 300 activists, lawyers, academics, clergy, journalists and civil society organisations signed a statement condemning the ‘threats, harassment and reprisals’ against prominent human rights lawyer and senior lecturer at Jaffna University Kumaravadivel Guruparan.

Families of disappeared in Vavuniya marked 1000 days of their roadside protest today, the day before Sri Lanka goes to the polls to vote in a new president.

The families slammed the main presidential candidates for ignoring their campaign and vowed to continue their struggle regardless of who was voted into power.

Sri Lankan police manhandled and dragged a Tamil politician as they arrested him for staging a peaceful protest outside a government office.

A former TNA candidate for the Northern Provincial Council and campaign co-ordinator for the presidential bid of M K Sivajilingam, M. Thambirasa was arrested while carrying out a hunger strike in front of the Jaffna District Secretariat calling for the resignation of election commissioner Mahinda Deshapriya.

According to the Centre for Monitoring Election Violence (CMEV), an estimated Rs. 3,108 million has been spent by five candidates for their presidential election campaigning between October 14 to November 10, with Gotabaya campaign spending the most.

Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) has spent the most, accounting for 49 per cent of the total estimated cost and spending an approximate Rs. 1,518 million. This is followed by Sajith Premadasa’s New Democratic Front, which accounts for 46% and has spent approximately, Rs. 1,422 million.