Sri Lanka reinstates sacked minister

Rajapakshe sworn into cabinet with higher education and culture portfolios

Sri Lanka’s President Maithripala Sirisena yesterday reinstated his justice minister, who was sacked nine months ago for publicly criticising a billion-dollar deal to lease a loss-making harbour to China.

Former justice minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe was sworn into cabinet with the higher education and culture portfolios, in a reshuffle prompted by the resignation of six ministers last month.

Sirisena’s office did not say why Rajapakshe was brought back into the fold despite his sacking last August. Rajapakshe had been forced out of the cabinet after criticising the controversial $1.1 billion (Dh4.04 billion) lease of a lossmaking deep sea port to China.

He was also accused by his own party of delaying the prosecution of former government figures accused of murder and corruption under former president Mahinda Rajapakse, who led the country through the conclusion of a decades-long civil war until his ouster in a 2015 poll. Sirisena won that election with the support of current prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe but the relationship between the two men has since broken down, with Sirisena accusing Wickremesinghe’s United National Party (UNP) of corruption. who stared down calls for his resignation after a disappointing showing in February local polls, also survived an impeachment attempt last month.