Colombo, Sept. 17: Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake on Tuesday alleged that several Members of Parliament and Ministers have close ties with underworld figures involved in the country’s drug and crime networks.
Speaking at the launch of the Kadawatha–Mirigama section of the Central Expressway, the President said investigations into suspects recently arrested in Indonesia have exposed their deep connections with Sri Lanka’s criminal underworld.
According to Dissanayake, the group controlled over 50 percent of drug trafficking and more than 75 percent of underworld operations across the country.
“They have also provided cash in various ways to our politicians,” the President claimed, adding that some MPs allegedly collected money monthly from the residences of underworld leaders, while others invited them to their homes regularly.
“Like collecting taxes, some MPs have visited their homes every month to receive money. Some Ministers have brought these people to their residences every month. This information has now come to light,” he said.
Dissanayake warned that the network created by these criminal groups has spread widely and vowed decisive action to curb underworld activities and political corruption linked to them.