By The Pulseline News Desk
Sri Lanka faces a legal hurdle in its efforts to extradite former Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) Governor Arjuna Mahendran from Singapore, Public Security Minister Ananda Wijepala has said, while authorities continue to explore available legal avenues to bring him back to the country.
Wijepala has told reporters that Mahendran, who is now a Singapore citizen and has changed his name, was residing in Singapore, creating difficulties in pursuing his extradition.
“There is a legal barrier in extraditing him to this country,” the Minister has said, adding that authorities were examining possible options to overcome the obstacle.
Legal proceedings relating to the CBSL bond transactions are continuing in Sri Lanka. Mahendran was indicted in June 2019 before the Permanent High Court at Bar over allegations that his actions had caused losses of more than $11 million to the State.
Singapore had previously rejected Sri Lanka’s extradition request, stating that it did not meet the legal requirements under the country’s Extradition Act.
Meanwhile, Wijepala has said the Sri Lankan Government had stepped up efforts to bring back individuals wanted in connection with various criminal cases, securing a total of 236 Interpol Red Notices.
Of these, 110 Red Notices have been obtained since the current Government had assumed office, he has said.
The Minister has said 66 wanted individuals had already been brought back to Sri Lanka, while investigations were continuing into another 97. Authorities have identified the locations of 39 wanted individuals, he has added.
One more wanted suspect is expected to be repatriated to Sri Lanka next week, according to Wijepala.
The Government’s latest figures indicate an intensified effort to use international law-enforcement mechanisms to locate and return suspects wanted in Sri Lanka, although the Mahendran case highlights the legal and jurisdictional challenges involved in securing extraditions from foreign countries.
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