* Is Gotabaya Rajapaksha's fundamental rights petition fundamentally right?

In fear of being arrested by police Financial Crimes Investigation Division (FCID), Sri Lanka's former Secretary of Ministry of Defense Gotabaya Rajapaksha filed a fundamental rights petition in Supreme Court demanding the FCID made powerless to arrest him.

Sri Lankan investigation bodies are after Gotabaya Rajapaksha on a number of issues including Avant Garde maritime security deal which caused loss to Sri Lanka Navy, the Mig 27 aircraft deal in which Gota is accused of making US$ 10 million payments to a bogus company called Bellimissa and also regarding sale of arms to pro-Russian rebels in Ukraine.

Cousin of former President Mahinda Rajapaksha, Udayanga Weerathunga who was the former Sri Lankan ambassador to Ukraine has disappeared and he is to be declared a fugitive. Weerathunga is linked to both the Mig 27 aircraft deal and selling of arms and ammunition to Ukraine rebels.

Sunday Leader newspaper published investigative reports about the Mig 27 scandal and the editor-in-chief of the newspaper Lasantha Wickramathunga was later assassinated in January 2009 by unknown assailants. No arrest was made regarding the killing.

Sripathi Suriyarachchi, a breakaway from Rajapaksha regime complained to the Bribery of Corruption Commission against Gotabaya Rajapaksha regarding Mig 27 deal but he too died in a road accident some times later.

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