Kuwait has deported 20 convicted Sri Lankan prisoners to their home country under a prisoner exchange agreement, marking the second such repatriation this year.
The inmates, who had been serving sentences in Kuwait’s Central Prison for offenses including drug trafficking and substance abuse, arrived at Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) in Katunayake on Wednesday aboard a Kuwaiti Air Force Boeing C-17 transport aircraft.
Approximately 50 Kuwaiti security personnel accompanied the prisoners, while a group of Sri Lankan Prison Department officials met them at the airport to transfer the inmates to a prison in Colombo.
Although 52 Sri Lankan prisoners have been repatriated on two occasions under the prisoner exchange agreement with Kuwait, no Kuwaiti prisoners have yet been transferred from Sri Lanka, the report noted.
The exchange pact was signed in 2007, and under the agreement, 32 Sri Lankan prisoners were sent back home in 2024.
Former Minister of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Development – Rajitha Senaratne has not appeared before the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) yesterday (July 02), citing ill health.
He faces charges of causing a financial loss to the government by allegedly awarding a sand mining project at the Kirinda Fisheries Harbour to a Korean company, bypassing government procurement procedures.
The CIABOC’s Special Investigations Chief Inspector had formally summoned Senaratne to provide a statement at 9.00 am yesterday, but one of his lawyers submitted a letter claiming Senaratne was unwell and therefore unable to attend.
Meanwhile, former Minister of Construction and Housing – Wimal Weerawansa was also summoned to give a statement regarding investigations into the sale of certain shops during his tenure.
He too has requested a new date, stating that he is unable to appear on the scheduled day.
The Attorney General has filed a case against one Vithanage Don Dayananda, a former Assistant General Manager (AGM) at People’s Bank head office, for allegedly preparing and using a forged document related to a Rs.2,000 million personal guarantee bond.
Colombo High Court Judge Lanka Jayaratne has fixed the case (HC 39/2019) for trial on October 30. When the case was called on July 01, the accused had appeared in court.
It is alleged that around June 01, 2006, in Colombo, the accused knowingly prepared a forged document purporting to show that a personal guarantee bond, allegedly signed and dated July 27, 1995, by directors of Yashoda Holdings (Pvt) Ltd.had been submitted to the bank’s head office.
Despite being well aware that the document was a forged one, he had allegedly presented it as genuine evidence during the Commercial High Court Case No. 122/2004.
Therefore, the Attorney General has charged him under Section 459 of the Penal Code.
The Ministry of Education has announced that online appeals for the second round of Grade 06 admissions in 2025, based on the 2024 Grade 05 Scholarship Examination results, can be submitted from today (July 03) until July 17.
Parents or guardians can submit appeals for up to three schools by visiting the official website of the Ministry of Education at www.moe.gov.lk or directly via the extension at g6application.moe.gov.lk.