The Fort Magistrate’s Court has issued a warrant for the arrest of former National Freedom Front (NFF) parliamentarian Jayantha Samaraweera in connection with the alleged misuse of vehicles belonging to the Presidential Secretariat, NewsFirst reported.
The order was issued on Tuesday by Fort Magistrate Pasan Amarasena when the case was taken up for hearing. The proceedings relate to accusations that vehicles attached to the Presidential Secretariat had been improperly utilised.
Samaraweera is a senior figure in the NFF, the party led by Wimal Weerawansa that was part of the previous governing coalition. The warrant adds to a widening run of court actions targeting former government-aligned politicians. NFF leader Weerawansa was himself arrested earlier this week over a war memorial case, while former finance minister Basil Rajapaksa is the subject of an active warrant from the Matara Magistrate’s Court in a separate land-purchase matter.
The case marks a fresh accountability front centred on the use of state assets by officials of the former administration. Further details of the underlying charges were not immediately disclosed. The matter is expected to proceed once the warrant is executed.
