Overview
- CIABOC told a Colombo magistrate that former petroleum minister Arjuna Ranatunga is overseas and will be detained on his return after being named the second suspect.
- Elder brother Dhammika Ranatunga, the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation chairman in 2017, was arrested on Monday and released on bail under a court-ordered travel ban.
- Investigators say long-term tenders were canceled and replaced with higher-priced spot purchases, leading to alleged losses across 27 transactions.
- The magistrate set March 13, 2026 for the next hearing as the inquiry proceeds under court oversight.
- Authorities describe the case as part of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s broader drive against graft, which has also ensnared another Ranatunga brother, Prasanna.