The Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) has opened a high-profile investigation into the fate of large quantities of gold reportedly taken from former LTTE international financier Selvarasa Pathmanathan, widely known as KP, after his 2009 arrest, NewsFirst reported. Former Army Commander Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka appeared before the commission on Thursday to give evidence.

KP managed the LTTE’s overseas financial operations and emerged as the head of the organisation following the destruction of its leadership in May 2009. He was arrested in Kuala Lumpur in August 2009 during a joint operation by Sri Lankan intelligence and international security agencies and secretly brought back to Sri Lanka, where he was placed under government protection and subsequently directed toward what authorities described as peaceful political and social activities.

The investigation centres on allegations that several tonnes of gold believed to have been in KP’s possession had been taken over by the government and security officials at the time of his arrest, raising questions about the chain of custody and what happened to the assets in the years that followed.

Speaking to reporters after giving evidence, Fonseka said the commission had asked what he knew about the gold but that he had no involvement in the matter. “When KP was arrested, I was not serving as the Army Commander. I was holding the position of Chief of Defence Staff,” he said. “Therefore, if any items were taken into custody from him, I do not have details about them. I retired from the position of Chief of Defence Staff on November 16 of that year.”

Fonseka added that he had no dealings with KP during his tenure in connection with such matters.

CIABOC is now seeking to establish accountability for the seized assets, opening a new accountability thread distinct from the ongoing CIABOC complaints sweep covering 3,349 complaints and 70 arrests recorded in the first four months of 2026. The probe sits alongside the commission’s parallel inquiries into senior figures from earlier administrations and adds a war-era financial dimension to its current docket.