Arundika admits meeting Udayanga in Japan

Deputy Minister for Tourism and Christian Affairs Arundika Fernando was summoned by the Police Financial Crimes Investigation Division (FCID) yesterday.

He was to be quizzed about his recent meeting with the elusive diplomat Udayanga Weeratunga in Japan.

The Deputy Minister who arrived at the FCID office yesterday morning was permitted to leave after a statement was recorded for a couple of hours, police sources said.

Upon inquiry Mr. Fernando had reportedly admitted to have met the former Russian Ambassador Udayanga Weeratunga about a few weeks back, when former President Mahinda Rajapaksa was on an informal tour in Japan.

He had told the FCID that he had abruptly encountered the controversial diplomat during an event where the latter had come to see the former President, sources said.

He had also admitted that the recently-published pictures of him next to Weeratunga that were seen on the social media that stirred the authorities, had also been captured during the said event. The Colombo Fort Magistrate issued an arrest warrant on Udayanga Weeratunga a few months ago following a request by the FCID to question him over the ongoing probe of the controversial MIG aircraft deal during the previous regime.

Since Weeratunga had failed to honour the court order, the FCID through the Police Department took measures to notify the Interpol to issue a ‘Blue Notice’ on him.

Interpol issues ‘Blue Notice’ on wanted suspects to alert worldwide agencies that the particular suspect has to be traced down from his/her location, whereas the ‘Red Notice’ is issued to alert the authorities that the suspect should be arrested on sight, police further said.