Sri Lankan Police Arrest SLPP General-Secretary Over Death Threat Allegations

Sri Lankan police arrested Sagara Kariyawasam, the General-Secretary of the Sri Lanka Podujana Party (SLPP), on Monday for allegedly issuing a death threat against the police chief, officers said. Kariyawasam, at a press conference in Colombo last week, warned Inspector General of Police Priyantha Weerasooriya that he could be killed if he continued to be partisan. A police official said Weerasooriya "considers this a death threat". "The SLPP General-Secretary was arrested after recording a statement, and he is being taken before a magistrate." A party leader of former president Mahinda Rajapaksa, Kariyawasam’s arrest is the latest in a series of detentions involving associates and relatives of the once-untouchable Rajapaksa political dynasty. The former leader, Mahinda Rajapaksa, is himself facing allegations that he received kickbacks from Airbus over an aircraft purchase deal that was eventually scrapped. The 80-year-old's three children, wife, two brothers and several nephews and nieces are facing charges of money-laundering and stealing state funds. The leftist government of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake came to power in September 2024 on a promise to crack down on bribery and graft.