Take Legal Action Against Tiran Alles: Patali Challenges the President

30-Oct-2025

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United Republic Front (URF) leader and former MP Patali Champika Ranawaka has challenged President Anura Kumara Dissanayake to take legal action against his political ally Dilan Alles in the electronic visa issuance scandal, stating that “the law must be equal for everyone.”

Speaking at a press conference held at the URF headquarters in Colombo on 27 October 2025, Ranawaka said:

On July 12, the Committee on Public Finance requested the National Audit Office to conduct an audit into the electronic visa system introduced by the Department of Immigration and Emigration. The audit report was released on October 3.

Based on the findings, we filed a fundamental rights petition in the Supreme Court on July 28, 2024. Three members of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) were invited to join the petition but declined.

On June 2, 2024, the Supreme Court took up the petition and ordered the suspension of the new e-visa system, instructing the department to revert to the previous visa issuance procedure. Since the Controller General of Immigration failed to comply, a contempt of court case was filed against him, resulting in a three-year suspended prison sentence.

The National Audit Office report exposed numerous irregularities, including a major loss of state revenue, recommending proper investigations and legal action against responsible officials and politicians.

Ranawaka added that President Dissanayake, who claims to fight corruption, now faces a true test of integrity since the e-visa scheme was implemented under the then-Minister of Public Security Dilan Alles, whose name also appears in the petition.

“I challenge the President to take appropriate legal action against his own political ally Dilan Alles — if he truly believes in equal justice.”

He further criticized the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC), stating that it acts selectively: “While harshly prosecuting petty frauds, it ignores billion-dollar losses caused by major corruption schemes like the e-visa scandal.”