Government seeks Gnanakone’s arrest

Interpol help to be sought:

Manjula Fernando and Nadira Gunatilake

COLOMBO: The Government is working on the arrest of LTTE-linked Singapore based businessman Charles Gnanakone with the help of the Interpol, Highways Minister Jeyaraj Fernandopulle told reporters at the weekly situation Briefing yesterday.

The Minister said they cannot seek Interpol assistance without hard evidence and they were now working on collecting these to frame who is allegedly concocting a scheme to oust the President and bring a pro-LTTE ruler into power.

“There is a local arrest warrant on him.

He will be arrested on arrival if he ever steps into the country. But we need hard evidence to get him arrested in Singapore, where he is currently residing.”

Minister Fernandopulle alleged the Opposition Leader had close links with the controversial businessman and his brother Jayantha Gnanakone. Ranil is alleged to have admitted in newspaper interviews that he knew the duo and Jayantha Gnanakone’s wife Sharmini since the 1970s.

He said Gnanakone had openly admitted he had direct links with the LTTE and the Opposition Leader had openly said he knew Gnanakone.

Quoting a newspaper report he said, once former Minister Mangala Samaraweera alleged that Wickremesinghe sent a secret note to Prabhakaran through Gnanakone.

Gnanakone is in the news again with revelations that he offered millions of dollars to buy over 20 MPs to vote against the present regime in a crucial Parliamentary vote, making the way for crowning a pro-LTTE leader.

The offer has allegedly been first made to two UNP dissident group members and later became public after the two ministers opted to alert their leader Minister Karu Jayasuriya.