Deputy Minister Gunasena Challenges Namal Rajapaksa: 'Bring Basil Back if You Can'

Deputy Minister Prasanna Gunasena has challenged SLPP MP Namal Rajapaksa to bring his uncle Basil Rajapaksa back to Sri Lanka, claiming recent court developments have intensified pressure on members of the Rajapaksa family.

Speaking at a public event, Gunasena said there had been strong claims in the past that no action could be taken against the Rajapaksas regardless of the allegations levelled against them. He pushed back against that framing, pointing to recent court orders as evidence that the legal system was now moving against the family.

Referring to active proceedings, the Deputy Minister alleged several cases were pending and said the public had already delivered its verdict against what he described as a “corrupt administration” during the Presidential and General Elections. Gunasena said further action would be taken against those accused of corruption in the period ahead.

The challenge lands at a politically charged moment for the Rajapaksa camp. Basil Rajapaksa remains overseas as a Matara magistrate ordered him taken into custody and imposed a travel ban on Friday, after the Attorney General said booked return tickets had been cancelled to evade hearings in the Brown’s Hill land case. The court is now treating Basil’s non-appearance as deliberate after nearly a year of absences.

That ruling followed a separate arrest warrant issued earlier in the week over the same Brown’s Hill land purchase, marking the second formal court escalation against the former finance minister in three days.

Namal Rajapaksa, who leads the SLPP parliamentary group, has publicly defended his father’s absence on health grounds, a position the Matara court has now twice rejected. Gunasena’s challenge effectively dares the SLPP leadership to act on its rhetorical defence of Basil by physically returning him to face the proceedings.

The Deputy Minister’s framing — that public mandate plus court pressure together vindicate the NPP government’s accountability push — echoes language used by other government voices following Friday’s ruling.