Mahendran extradition: No official response yet from Singapore

There has been no official response so far from the Singapore government to send former Central Bank Governor Arjuna Mahendran to face charges in Sri Lanka over the bond scandal, official sources said yesterday.

On Tuesday, President Maithripala Sirsena confirmed at a news conference that he had made a request from Singapore Prime Minister Li Hsieng Loong during his visit to that country.

He said: “I have privately told the Singaporean Prime Minister when I met him in Singapore recently. During the one- to- one talks, I explained the Central Bank issue. He said whether he is a Singaporean national or another national in his country he would take action. I cannot confirm if he is in Singapore or in any other country. If we know where he is we can round him up. Therefore, what some politicians say is hilarious at times as they question if the President is in charge of police why cannot he ( Mahendran) be arrested. That is the situation. The Interpol is now looking for him.”

President Sirisena also added: “I have seen some remarks by politicians questioning as to why I cannot get Mahendran. If he is in the country, my officials will get him. We do not know where he is. We have done everything possible required. We informed the Interpol and based on that request, it issued a Red Notice. After a Red Notice is issued, the person concerned could make an appeal defending him that he should not be arrested. Mahendran appealed to the Interpol. Its normal procedure is to appoint a judge to hear the appeal. The appeal was rejected. Therefore, the Red Notice was validated again. The Red Notice is effective so that he can be arrested anywhere in the world”.