Officers of the Special Investigation Unit of the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE) have arrested a former member of the Yatinuwara Pradeshiya Sabha representing United National Party (UNP) for allegedly engaging in foreign employment racket by fraudulently using the letterhead of Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism, Vijitha Herath.

During the arrest, officers seized several forged letterheads, photocopies of passports and a number of foreign employment application forms from the suspect’s possession, the ministry said in a statement.

Investigations revealed that the suspect had allegedly defrauded 11 individuals by promising employment opportunities in Canada, and had obtained more than Rs. 3 million in total from those individuals.

The arrest was carried out on January 26, following two complaints received by the SLBFE stating that the suspect was using the Minister Vijitha Herath’s letterhead for illegal recruitment activities, the ministry said today. 

He was apprehended while secretly operating the racket while staying in a lodge in the Obeysekarapura area of Rajagiriya, the SLBFE said.

The suspect, a resident of Pilimatalawa in Kandy, is a former member of the Yatinuwara Pradeshiya Sabha.

Moreover, he had also served on the staff of the former Opposition Leader of the Central Provincial Council and is also known to be a prominent activist of the UNP, the statement added.

The suspect was produced before the No. 05 Magistrate’s Court within the Aluthkade Courts Complex yesterday (27) and was ordered released on bail. However, he was further remanded after failing to meet the bail conditions.

Further investigations have revealed that the suspect had allegedly been involved in similar racketeering activities for several years, with several cases currently pending against him at the Kandy Court Complex.

Investigations are continuing under the special supervision of the Director of the Central Crime Investigation Bureau (CCIB).