Arjuna Ranatunga is one of Sri Lanka’s most celebrated sports figures, best known for captaining the national cricket team to its historic 1996 Cricket World Cup victory. A left-handed batsman, Ranatunga became a national hero after leading Sri Lanka to defeat Australia in the final, marking the country’s greatest achievement in international cricket.

After retiring from cricket, Ranatunga entered politics and later served as Sri Lanka’s petroleum minister. It is his time in this role that has now placed him at the center of a major corruption investigation.

What are the allegations against him?

Sri Lankan authorities plan to arrest Arjuna Ranatunga on corruption charges related to oil procurement deals made in 2017, a Colombo court was informed on Monday. According to the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption, Ranatunga and his brother Dhammika Ranatunga are accused of altering procedures for awarding long-term petroleum supply contracts.

Investigators claim the changes resulted in costly spot oil purchases instead of long-term agreements, causing financial losses to the state. The commission estimates the total loss from 27 oil purchases at around 800 million Sri Lankan rupees, equivalent to $5 million at the time.

What are the legal developments

The court was told that Arjuna Ranatunga, who is currently abroad, will be arrested upon his return to Sri Lanka. His elder brother Dhammika Ranatunga, the former chairman of the state-owned Ceylon Petroleum Corporation, was arrested on Monday but later released on bail. The magistrate imposed a travel ban on Dhammika, who holds dual citizenship in Sri Lanka and the United States.

The next court hearing in the case has been scheduled for March 13.

Wider anti-corruption drive

The case against the Ranatunga brothers is part of a broader anti-corruption campaign launched by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, who came to power last year after pledging to address long-standing corruption in Sri Lanka’s political system.

Another brother of Arjuna, Prasanna Ranatunga, a former tourism minister, was arrested last month in connection with an insurance fraud case. While that case is still pending, he was previously convicted in June 2022 for extorting money from a businessman and received a two-year suspended prison sentence.