Sri Lanka cricketer arrested amid IPL 2025
Published - 22 May 2025, 01:35 PM | Updated - 22 May 2025, 03:06 PM
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Sri Lanka cricket has yet again come into the spotlight for the corruption controversy. Former Sri Lankan captain Ramith Rambukwella was arrested in a corruption case connected to his father, Keheliya Rambukwella, on Wednesday (May 21).
Ramith Rambukwella was arrested in Colombo on Wednesday after he was called in by the country's top anti-corruption body to record his statement on the case. A PTI report revealed that the former Lankan cricketer was taken into custody shortly after recording his statement to the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC).
Sri Lanka's Ramith Rambukwella arrested over father’s scam
He was then sent to jail until June 3 by the Colombo Chief Magistrate’s Court. Magistrate Thanuja Lakmali approved the move to officially name Ramith as a suspect in a corruption case connected to his father, Keheliya Rambukwella, a former minister under the Rajapaksa government.
Keheliya Rambukwella is accused of serious misuse of public funds while serving as Sri Lanka’s health minister.
Authorities believe that Keheliya used a loan from India to buy low-quality medicine and also approved payments to people who weren’t even doing government work.
Because of his wrong deeds, Lanka lost nearly Rs. 8 million. Keheliya has been behind bars since 2024 and is also being held until June 3. Now, Ramith has also been officially named a suspect. His name being pulled into the case has raised eyebrows, given his past off-field behavior.
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Court denies Ramith Rambukwella's bail amid fear of witness tampering
Meanwhile, Sri Lanka’s anti-corruption body (CIABOC) has accused Keheliya Rambukwella of misusing his power while serving as Minister of Mass Media, Health, and Environment between 2021 and 2023.
Officials claimed that he added several close friends and family members to his personal staff and wrongly claimed allowances for them, causing big losses to the government.
During a court hearing, CIABOC officials said Keheliya’s son Ramith Rambukwella ignored several summons by giving excuses related to travel and health issues.
The investigators also said that over 20 witnesses still need to give their statements and warned the court that releasing Ramith on bail could lead to witness intimidation.
So, they requested the court to keep him in custody for now. Ramith had a successful school cricket career that earned him a place on the Lanka cricket team. He has now found himself at the center of a political storm due to his father.
The former cricketer, who played just two T20 internationals for Sri Lanka, will remain in police custody for an unknown period.
Namal Rajapaksa in hot water over ₹70 Million Rugby funds scam
In a separate case, Namal Rajapaksa, son of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa and a one-time rugby star, has been charged for allegedly misusing LKR 70 million from India-based Krish Hotels, money that was supposedly meant to boost rugby in Sri Lanka.
A pre-trial hearing on this case has been scheduled for June 27. With multiple former politicians already behind bars on corruption charges, Sri Lanka’s new government under the National People’s Power (NPP) has made it clear that no name is too big to be questioned.
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Sri Lanka National Cricket TeamAbout the Author
Rashmi Wasnik is a passionate content writer with over a decade of experience. She started her journ... Read more
