UPDATE: (5.10 p.m.) - The accountant arrested in connection with the case against former minister Rishad Bathiudeen, over transporting IDP voters in state-owned buses, has been remanded until October 26 after being produced before the Fort Magistrate’s Court.

Alagarathnam Manoranjan, the accountant of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) Resettling project implemented under former Minister Rishad Bathiudeen, has been placed under arrest.

The arrest was made by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in the area of Kirulapone on Tuesday night.

In the meantime, a constable attached to MP Bathiudeen’s security detail has also been taken into custody for allegedly aiding the parliamentarian to evade the arrest, the Police Spokesperson DIG Ajith Rohana said.

The CID had apprehended the suspect in the area of Wellawatte along with two cars and two firearms.

Investigations will be carried out into the two firearms seized during the arrest, the Police Spokesperson said further.

The two drivers of the seized vehicles have also been placed under arrest and they were identified as residents of Puttalam area.

Then-Minister of Industry and Commerce Rishad Bathiudeen, the director of the project Mohamed Yaseen Samsudeen and the project accountant Alagarathnam Manoranjan are accused of violating Article 82(1) of Presidential Elections Act, No. 15 of 1981 by misappropriating public funds to the tune of Rs. 9.5 million.

They have allegedly misused 222 buses belonging to the state-owned Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB) for transporting internally IDPs from Puttalam to polling stations in Silavathurai, Mannar during the 2019 Presidential Election.

The CID, upon the direction of the Attorney General, had sought the Colombo Fort Magistrate to issue a warrant to arrest MP Rishad Bathiudeen and the other two suspects on charges of criminal misappropriation of public funds and violation of election laws.

However, the magistrate ruled that the Police can proceed to arrest the suspects without a warrant.

Thereby, Attorney General Dappula de Livera directed the Police to arrest the three suspects according to the law.