Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) MP Sujeewa Senasinghe, who was granted bail today (16), said a significant sum of public funds must have been spent on the CID’s investigation into his case, despite government’s commitment to cost-cutting.
Senasinghe appeared before the Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court over a case involving an allegedly illegally assembled luxury vehicle valued at around Rs. 100 million. Magistrate Nilupuli Lankapura previously directed the CID to produce the MP in court along with medical documentation confirming his travel abroad for treatment.
Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa and several senior SJB figures—including Ranjith Madduma Bandara, Kabir Hashim, Mano Ganesan, and Mujibur Rahuman—were present at the court premises in a show of support.
Speaking to the media after the court appearance, Sujeewa Senasinghe criticised the government’s hypocrisy, particularly pointing to the National People’s Power (NPP) administration’s claims about fiscal discipline. “They said they came to save public money, but the CID must have spent a fortune on my case alone,” he said. “Meanwhile, the economy has plunged—growth has fallen from 5% to nearly zero. Not a single promise has been delivered.”
He also took aim at what he called the government’s increasing authoritarianism. “Those who once stood with us against the Rajapaksa regime are now embracing the same neoliberal and authoritarian model. Powerful positions are being handed out without transparency—figures like Dhammika Perera are now shaping policy,” he charged.
Senasinghe claimed that key state institutions are being used as personal tools. “This is no longer a democracy. It’s a police state. Dissent is punished, and independent voices are being silenced,” he said.
He warned that even moderate critics are being targeted. “If people like me and Dayasiri speak up, we’re targeted. If these same tactics had been used before, Anura Kumara Dissanayake himself could have been jailed for 15 to 20 years,” he noted.
Senasinghe drew a contrast between the current government and previous administrations. “Whatever their faults, leaders like Mahinda Rajapaksa, Gotabaya, Ranil, or even Chandrika never reduced the state to this level of decay. Today, institutions are run like someone’s private kitchen.”
Sujeewa Senasinghe stated: “Despite everything, I have no traffic cases, no pending legal action, and no credible allegations against me. My political career began with integrity, and it remains that way.”
“This government is running out of time. People will not tolerate this much longer. We will raise awareness, we will form a government, and we will rebuild this country,” Sujeewa Senasinghe concluded.
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