Udayanga Weeratunga is a Sri Lankan businessman who was the

Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or sov ...

of the

Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

to the

Russian Federation Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

from 2006 to 2015. Weeratunga is a first cousin of

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

Mahinda Rajapaksa and

Early life and education

Udayanga was born in Medamulana and received his education from

Nalanda College, Colombo Nalanda CollegeG 498 ...

Career

Weeratunga presented his

Letter of Credence A letter of credence (french: Lettre de créance) is a formal diplomatic letter that designates a diplomat as ambassador to another sovereign state. Commonly known as diplomatic credentials, the letter is addressed from one head of state to anot ...

to the president

Vladimir Putin Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin; (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who holds the office of president of Russia. Putin has served continuously as president or prime minister since 1999: as prime min ...

of Russia on 16 November 2006. He served as the ambassador to Russia until president Rajapaksa's defeat in the

2015 Sri Lankan presidential election Presidential elections were held in Sri Lanka on 8 January 2015, two years ahead of schedule. The incumbent President Mahinda Rajapaksa was the United People's Freedom Alliance's candidate, seeking a third term in office. The United National Par ...

. In 2015, Weeratunga was accused by the Ukrainian government of arms sales to the separatist rebels fighting government forces in Ukraine. The Sri Lankan government is currently investigating these allegations and withdrawn his diplomatic passport but his whereabouts are not known to the Sri Lankan authorities.The Financial Crimes Investigation Division applied for, but did not receive, an

Interpol The International Criminal Police Organization (ICPO; french: link=no, Organisation internationale de police criminelle), commonly known as Interpol ( , ), is an international organization that facilitates worldwide police cooperation and cri ...

warrant for his arrest on 30 September 2016.

MiG-27 purchase controversy

Weeratunga was extradited from

Dubai Dubai (, ; ar, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 emirates of the United Arab Emirates.The Government and Politics of ...

to Sri Lanka on February 14, 2020 and arrested by officers of the

Criminal Investigation Department The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) is the branch of a police force to which most plainclothes detectives belong in the United Kingdom and many Commonwealth nations. A force's CID is distinct from its Special Branch (though officers of b ...

(CID) on charges of kickbacks and money laundering from the Sri Lankan military's 2006 purchase of four second-hand MiG-27 aircraft from Ukraine. At the time of the purchase, president Rajapaksa was the secretary to the ministry of defence. Sixteen banks accounts of Weeratunga had been suspended by the courts in January 2017 due to allegations of fraud in the purchase of Mig-27 fighters. The case is ongoing without Weeratunga not attending the court. Investigations had revealed that funds amounting to a total of US$1.5 million had been deposited at various times to the sixteen accounts belonging to him with the Sri Lankan Air Force claiming that they are unable to locate the original purchase contract, which is said to have been signed in the presence of the Weeratunga. Weeratunge was arrested in Dubai on 4 February 2018, by international police based on a request made by Sri Lankan Authorities.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Weeratunga, Udayanga Sinhalese businesspeople Sri Lankan Buddhists Alumni of Nalanda College, Colombo Sri Lankan diplomats Ambassadors of Sri Lanka to Russia Living people Rajapaksa family Year of birth missing (living people)

Early life and education

Career

MiG-27 purchase controversy

See also

References