By
Lasanda Kurukulasuriya
Breaking his silence over allegations that he supplied weapons to pro-Russian separatist rebels in Ukraine, Sri Lanka’s former ambassador to Russia Udayanga Weeratunga has said the story that President Petro Poroshenko’s government had complained to the Sri Lankan Foreign Ministry about him is a ‘complete lie.’
Udayanga Weeratunga-pic: courtesy of The Hindu
Weeratunga said on Sunday that he had a certificate from Ukrainian authorities proving that he was not under investigation for any crime in Ukraine. He further asserted that the Ukrainian Ambassador to India (who is also accredited to Sri Lanka) has informed the Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera and Foreign Secretary Chitranganie Wagiswara that the allegations against him are false.
“I live at present in Kiev the capital of Ukraine and if I had been supplying arms to rebels fighting the Ukrainian government I would not be able to live there” he said in a press release. Alleging that members of the government he served were being subjected to ‘harassment and victimisation’ by the present government, Weeratunga said he has no intention of returning to Sri Lanka at this time.
Media reports citing minister Samaraweera in March alleged that Weeratunga, a relative of former president Mahinda Rajapaksa, had supplied weapons to separatist rebels fighting the Ukrainian government, and that he was being investigated for his conduct. The Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mahishini Colonne told reporters on 03.06.15 that the Ambassador of Ukraine had informed Sri Lankan officials that Ukraine authorities are in the process of investigating the alleged transfer of weapons.
A BBC Ukraine report however contradicted the Sri Lanka foreign ministry’s position when it quoted Ukraine’s foreign ministry spokesman Yevhen Perebiynis denying that there was an investigation.
Weeratunga’s press statement also rejects insinuations that he was responsible for the death of an embassy employee Noel Ranaweera, calling it a fabrication. He says Ranaweera died as a result of being run over by a lorry, adding that the incident was recorded on CCTV cameras and the driver of the vehicle is currently facing prosecution.
The full text of Udayanga Weeratunga’s press release of 21.06.15 appears below:
“Supplying weapons to Ukrainian rebels and the death of Noel Ranaweera”
“Various allegations made against me by ministers of the yahapalana government have gained wide publicity in the media. I have no intention of coming back to Sri Lanka at this time because members of the government I served are being subjected to harassment and victimisation by the present government.
However I wish to respond to the allegations that have been made against me.
“The story that I had supplied arms to separatist rebels in Ukraine and that president Petro Poroshenko’s government had complained to the Sri Lankan foreign ministry about me is a complete lie. I am in possession of a certificate issued by the Internal Affairs Ministry of Ukraine dated 1 April 2015 bearing number 668588 to the effect that I am not being investigated for any crime within Ukraine. The Spokesman of the Ukrainian foreign ministry Yevgeny Perebenis told the Russian language unit of the BBC back in March this year that the Ukrainian government rejects this story about my supplying arms to the Ukrainian rebels. Furthermore, the Ukrainian Ambassador in India who is also accredited to Sri Lanka has informed foreign minister Mangala Samaraweera and foreign secretary Chitranganie Wagiswara that this allegation against me is false. I live at present in Kiev the capital of Ukraine and if I had been supplying arms to rebels fighting the Ukrainian government I would not be able to live there.
“The allegation that I was responsible for the death of Noel Ranaweera an employee of the Sri Lankan Embassy in Russia is another fabrication. The latter died as a result of being run over by a lorry driven by a Russian citizen named S.V. Samsonov in the premises of the Don Plaza hotel in the city of Rostov on Don on 11 June 2014. The incident has been recorded on CCTV cameras and there is a criminal investigation and court proceedings against the driver of the vehicle. The head of the Second Asia Department of the Russian Ministry of Foreign affairs S.Kabulov has confirmed these details in a letter to S. Pathirana the Acting Sri Lankan Ambassador in Russia on 4 June 2015 and added that there is no investigation in Russia against Udayanga Weeratunga in relation to this matter. The documents issued by the Ukrainian and Russian authorities in relation to these matters will be E-mailed to all media organizations separately.”
Udayanga Weeratunga
Former Sri Lankan Ambassador to Russia