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Former Sri Lankan minister arrested over alleged fake document

Xinhua, February 2, 2015 Adjust font size:

A leading Sri Lankan politician was arrested in Colombo on Monday based on a complaint lodged by the nation's new Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, the police said.

Police Spokesman Ajith Rohana told reporters that former Health Minister Tissa Attanayake was apprehended over a document which he had made public before the Jan. 8 presidential election, alleging a secret deal between newly-elected president Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Wickremesinghe.

Attanayake had displayed the document at election rallies held in support of former President Mahinda Rajapakse, which also showed signatures purported to be that of the prime minister and the president.

Once the general secretary of the former opposition United National Party which is now the ruling party, Attanayake had claimed that Wickremesinghe and Sirisena had reached an agreement even before they decided to work together at the presidential vote.

Police spokesman Ajith Rohana said Prime Minister Wickremesinghe had filed a complaint last month, saying the signatures on the documents were forged and had urged for an inquiry.

Wickremesinghe and Sirisena had strongly denied the existence of such a document and accused Attanayake of forging their signatures.

President Sirisena defeated former President Rajapakse at the January election and since then has launched a crackdown on alleged corrupt deals of the former government. Endi