Colombo: In a setback to Sri Lanka’s ruling coalition, an influential minister today resigned from the cabinet for allegedly shielding a private security firm which is under probe for gun running and money laundering.
Law and Order and Prisons Reform Minister Tilak Marapana sent his resignation to President Maithripala Sirisena amid intense pressure from his colleagues who demanded his sacking.
Marapana had defended the Avant Garde’s armoury scandal in Parliament by saying that there was nothing illegal about the company’s operation that involved using government weapons and hiring them out to foreigners.
Marapana was under pressure to resign after his comments.
Explaining the reasons behind his resignation, he said there were doubts in the minds of MPs and members of the public that the Avant Garde probe would not be conducted properly if he continued to remain as the minister.
However, he insisted that he would continue to remain in Parliament as an MP.
Marapana’s statement regarding the Avant Garde issue drew strong criticism even from some of his ministerial colleagues in the government.
