Sri Lanka's Defense Secretary to revive government security agency for deployment in Red Sea

by admin
Jul 30, 2024

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Sri Lanka's Defence Secretary Kamal Gunaratne announced that the government plans to revive the Rakna Arakashaka Lanka, a government-owned security agency that has come under criticism for its fraudulent activities.

Rakna Arakshaka Lanka or Rakna Lanka was last investigated for maintaining a floating armoury off Sri Lanka's coast. The floating armoury was a byproduct of a partnership between Avant Garde and Rakna Lanka, which provided arms and ammunition to ships. Rakna Lanka was investigated by officers from the Attorney General's Department to examine the legality of the operation and whether the Government of Sri Lanka had the legal right to transfer weapons in its possession to a private security company. That too without the approval of the Cabinet of Ministers and any calls for international tenders thereafter. Rakna Lanka was created by former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. The company is registered with the registrar of companies and is not answerable to parliament.  Gunaratne plans to use the agency to deploy 550 sea marshals to the Red Sea.

Furthermore, the Bribery Commission filed a case against the Chairman of Avant-Garde Maritime Services and the former Chairman of Rakna Arakshaka Lanka General Palitha Fernando, for soliciting and accepting a bribe of Rs 35.5 million to maintain a floating armoury at the Galle Fort during the regime of the former government. The presidential commission of inquiry to investigate large-scale corruption, fraud, and abuse of power named former Navy Chiefs, Admiral (Retd) Jayanath Colombage and Admiral Jayantha Perera, former Additional Secretary of the Defence Ministry Sujatha Jayaratne and Avant-Garde Chairman Nissanka Senadhipathi as respondents in this case. 

The Presidential Commission noted that this fraud has caused a loss of Rs. 124. 9 million to the Sri Lanka Navy and a total of Rs. 11.4 Billion to the State as revealed during the investigations.  According to the report submitted to President Maithripala Sirisena by the commission, it has concluded that Gotabaya Rajapaksa and 12 others had committed the offense of corruption, conspiracy to commit corruption, and other offenses under Section 70. Of the Bribery Act. Despite these findings, Gotabaya Rajapaksa became president a few years later, while those implicated were given positions of power within his government. 

Now, the present Defence Secretary has announced since Rakna Lanka has provided re-employment opportunities to over 3,000 soldiers retiring from Sri Lanka's military service, it has begun recruitment for 550 sea marshals who would be deployed to the Red Sea.

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