SF REJECTS MEDIA REPORT OVER UNDERWORLD CONNECTION

The journalist who has reported this news has some personal agenda and has criticised me at several instances.

Minister Fonseka told a news conference that some media reports had stated that five underworld leaders, whom the Police were looking to arrest, were protecting a minister and had become the private bodyguards of the Minister.

He said even though one such report had directly alleged him of this incident and published his picture; the other report had only mentioned it as an incident involved with a Senior Minister by not mentioning his name.

“I do not need protection from the underworld or do not intend to protect them. I have ten Police officers, four Inspectors and Four Special Task Force (STF) officers as my guards. I have two Police vehicles too. Anybody can inquire with these facts,” he said.

“The journalist who has reported this news has some personal agenda and has criticised me at several instances. The Ministry will take legal action on that report claiming Rs. 500 million for the damages caused. There are some political forces behind these reports too,” he added.

He also rejected the claims that there were some underworld members working at his office.

While referring to the allegation that a former Police officer named Aruna Attanayake alias Police was included in his security team, he said under democracy any person was entitled to do politics and nobody could question it.

He said the person who was appearing in a picture published with the said media report, had a case filed against him in Courts twenty years ago and now he had a settled background and added that he could not question on the number of Court cases a supporter had before entering into politics.