Health and Mass Media Minister Nalinda Jayatissa said MP Namal Rajapaksa himself would know better than anyone else what wrongdoing he had allegedly committed, adding that it was understandable for someone aware of their own actions to fear arrest at any time.
Speaking to the media, the Minister said the Criminal Investigation Department, the Financial Crimes Investigation Division or the Bribery Commission may not yet have uncovered the full extent of Rajapaksa’s alleged wrongdoing.
He said individuals who had committed an offence would know its nature and scale, and that it was natural for them to fear arrest as investigators gradually uncovered evidence.
The Minister rejected claims that the Government was preparing to arrest Rajapaksa because it feared the turnout expected at a rally scheduled to be held in Anuradhapura on September 12.
He stressed that the Government did not arrest individuals by targeting particular dates or out of fear of public gatherings, adding that arrests would be made solely on the basis of evidence and reports presented before court.
“If there was concern that the law would be enforced on that day, the rally should have been held before then,” he said.
Jayatissa added that anyone found to have committed wrongdoing or theft would have to face punishment and should confront the law instead of attempting to evade it.
