How can Ranil alone be exempted from the law? asks Minister Sunil Handunnetti

29-Aug-2025

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Minister of Industrial Development Sunil Handunnetti stated that while the opposition demands equality before the law, they simultaneously argue that former President Ranil Wickremesinghe should be exempted from it. This, he said, reveals to the public how law would have been applied under their governance.

Speaking to the media in Matara on August 27 after attending a development committee meeting, he added:

“The government has no need to seek revenge against Ranil Wickremesinghe. He was arrested for the misuse of state funds, not out of political retaliation. How can that be described as political revenge?

The Supreme Court has ruled that the Rajapaksas pushed the country into bankruptcy. If legal action is taken against them, will that too be called political revenge? The people must not forget that Sri Lanka’s bankruptcy resulted from the large-scale misuse of state resources by past rulers.

While the opposition demands equality before the law, they now ask that Ranil Wickremesinghe be exempted. This shows the people how they would have applied the law under their own rule.

At a time when the public insists on tough measures against corruption, the opposition is asking for partiality before the law. Many individuals facing multiple criminal allegations have now gathered into one camp. It is not new for opposition figures to dismiss legal action against corruption as political revenge. The people must understand the truth,” he said.