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Updated December 24th, 2019 at 20:11 IST

Sri Lankan ex-minister arrested over car accident gets bail

A Sri Lankan court on Tuesday granted bail to a former Cabinet minister who was arrested last week over a years-old traffic accident.

Sri Lankan
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A Sri Lankan court on Tuesday granted bail to a former Cabinet minister who was arrested last week over a years-old traffic accident, detention the opposition says is part of a government witch hunt of political opponents. Patali Champika Ranawaka's political defection in 2014 triggered the fall of a government led by the brother of the current president.

Sri Lankan ex-minister arrested

Opposition lawmakers say his arrest was politically motivated. The Magistrate court in Colombo permitted the release of Ranawaka on bail and ordered him to report to police once a month. It also ordered him to refrain from influencing witnesses.

Ranawaka told reporters after his release that he would continue to fight for "democracy and freedom" and that "handcuffs and prisons" cannot stop his struggle.

Ranawaka was arrested last week over a 2016 traffic accident in which a young motorcyclist was seriously injured. He was Sri Lanka's urban development minister before the election of current President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on November 16. His release came a day after about 200 opposition lawmakers and supporters protested in Colombo to condemn his arrest.

On Tuesday, opposition lawmaker Ajith Perera accused the government of using police as a tool to harass and destroy political opponents.

Read: Sri Lanka: 3 Killed, 64000 Affected By Heavy Rains And Landslides

Read: Sri Lanka President Won't Entertain 2015 UNHRC Resolution On War Crimes

The court imposed a foreign travel

In a separate case, a court imposed a foreign travel ban on Monday on another former Cabinet minister at the request of police, which is investigating his alleged involvement in organising a news conference on abductions that took place under the government headed by Rajapaksa's brother, ex-President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

Two people who spoke at the news conference about alleged abductions are now in the custody of the police.

Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who was the top defence official in his brother's government from 2005 to 2015, has been accused of overseeing what was known as "white van" squads that whisked away critics. Some were returned after being tortured. Others were never seen again.

Read: Fresh Western Disturbance To Bring Heavy Snow, Rain To Himachal Pradesh

Read: Sri Lanka Fully Committed To SAARC And Its Objectives: Rajapaksa

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Published December 24th, 2019 at 20:02 IST

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