Colombo, Dec 16: Sri Lankan authorities are preparing to arrest former World Cup-winning cricket captain Arjuna Ranatunga in connection with an alleged corruption case linked to fuel procurement during his tenure as Petroleum Minister in 2017, officials informed a Colombo court.
The Colombo Magistrate’s Court was told that Ranatunga, who is currently abroad, will be taken into custody upon his return to Sri Lanka. The development comes as part of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s ongoing anti-corruption campaign, which aims to investigate alleged financial misconduct by former political office-holders.
According to investigators, Ranatunga and his elder brother Dhammika Ranatunga, the former Chairman of the state-run Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC), are accused of manipulating fuel tender procedures. Instead of following established competitive long-term procurement contracts, the accused allegedly authorised repeated spot purchases of fuel at inflated prices.
Sri Lanka’s anti-corruption watchdog, the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC), informed the court that 27 such fuel purchases resulted in an estimated loss of approximately 800 million Sri Lankan rupees to the state. At the time the transactions were carried out in 2017, the loss was valued at over 5 million US dollars.
Authorities claim the procurement decisions favoured selected suppliers, causing significant financial damage to the government.
Dhammika Ranatunga was arrested earlier in connection with the case but was later released on bail. The court has imposed a travel ban on him, citing the seriousness of the allegations. He holds dual Sri Lankan and US citizenship.
Another brother, Prasanna Ranatunga, a former tourism minister, has also faced legal trouble. He was previously convicted in an extortion case and is currently serving a two-year suspended prison sentence. Prasanna was also arrested last month in a separate insurance fraud case, which remains under investigation.
The court has scheduled the next hearing for 13 March 2026.
Arjuna Ranatunga remains one of the most prominent figures in Sri Lankan cricket. He led the national team to its historic 1996 ODI World Cup triumph, defeating Australia in the final. Between 1982 and 1999, he represented Sri Lanka in 93 Test matches and 269 One-Day Internationals, scoring over 13,000 international runs.
Following his retirement from cricket, Ranatunga moved into sports administration and politics, serving as President of Sri Lanka Cricket and later holding ministerial positions. His post-cricket career, however, was often marked by controversies, legal disputes, and confrontations with cricketing authorities, including the ICC.
