Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s second son Yoshitha Rajapaksa appeared before the Criminal Investigation Division (CID) of the Police this morning.

He will be asked to make a statement relating to a jeep belonging to the ‘Siriliya Saviya’ Foundation suspected to have been used in the abduction and murder of Wasim Thajudeen.

The ‘Siriliya Saviya’ Foundation belongs to the former First Lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa, who was also questioned at length on the matter at the CID yesterday (15).

Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s youngest son Rohitha Rajapaksa was also questioned at the Financial Crimes Investigation Division (FCID) of the Police yesterday.

Investigations into alleged corruption and fraud committed by the former first family have made little progress over the past two years and President Maithripala Sirisena recently waded in asking that some progress is made over the next three months.

Former first lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa appeared before the Police Criminal Investigations Department (CID) over the killing of Rugby player Wasim Thajudeen. 

Rajapaksa was questioned over a jeep belonging to the Siriliya Saviya organisation which was alleged to have been used for the murder of the Rugby player. The jeep had been donated to the organisation by the Sri Lanka Red Cross. 

Rajapaksa's son, Yoshitha Rajapaksa too is expected to appear before the CID today . CID sources said he would be questioned whether he sued the jeep under question on the day Thajudeen was killed.

Meanwhile, the youngest son of the Rajapaksa family, Rohitha Rajapaksa also appeared before the Police Financial Crimes Investigation Division (FCID) over the Supreme SAT satellite project. 

Rohitha, the chief engineer of the project, was questioned as to how the funds came in for the ambitious project. 

The United National Party (UNP) Working Committee is to discuss the party's future course of action on Justice Minister Wijedasa Rajapakshe. 

The next Working Committee meeting of the party is scheduled to be held on August 17. 

The meeting takes place in the wake of claims made by a section of UNP Parliamentarians that they will present a no-confidence motion against Minister Rajapakshe. 

Some have even threatened to present a motion to the UNP Working Committee urging to remove Rajapakshe from the party's apex decision making body. 

Rajapakshe had earned the ire of UNP Parliamentarians over the slow progress of investigations into key members of the previous administration and his remarks against the Hambanthota Port agreement. 

They assert that Rajapakshe has acted in violation of his collective responsibility as a Cabinet Minister and caused embarrassment to the government. 

Justice Minister Wijesdasa Rajapaksa, who is now on the verge of facing a no-confidence motion, has drawn little support from the UNP Parliamentary group, Asian Mirror learns.

UNP stalwarts Harin Fernando, Ajith P Perera and Mujiber Rahuman are at the forefront of the no-confidence initiative against the Justice Minister.

"Many MPs are of the firm view that Rajapaksa should face a no-confidence motion or he should be removed from the Cabinet," a UNP Parliamentarian said, adding that the Justice Minister has little support from the Parliamentary group of the party.

"Probably he can draw support from the Joint Opposition group in Parliament. But they have only 50 MPs in the House - not enough to defeat a no-confidence motion," he added.

He said the matter was discussed at a meeting held at Parliamentarian Ravi Karunanayake's house, last evening.

Meanwhile, when asked about the no-confidence attempt against Rajapakshe, UNP General Secretary Kabir Hashim told journalists in Parliament yesterday that action should be taken against those who cannot obey the government's decisions.

"There is a responsibility for everyone. If someone tries to act in violation of this responsibility, the government will have to take action," the UNP General Secretary said, indicating that the no-confidence attempt against Rajapaksa was justifiable.

A fresh crisis has surfaced with Finance Minister Ravi Karunayake not showing any inclination to resign from his ministerial portfolio.

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe held a meeting with Karunanayake, on Saturday, to discuss the possibility of his resignation. Wickremesinghe will soon hold a meeting with President Maithripala Sirisena on the same matter.

At the discussion, the Prime Minister had pointed out  the testimony revealing that Arjuna Aloysius, the former CEO of Perpetual Treasuries had paid a lease amount of close to 8.7 million on behalf of the family of the then finance minister Ravi Karunanayake, for a fifth-floor super luxury condominium apartment at the Monarch residencies, had caused embarrassment to the government.

The Prime Minister had requested Karunanayake to resign from his Cabinet post temporarily, until the end of the ongoing investigations.

Karunanayake, however, had now shown any inclination to resign, claiming that he did not commit any wrongdoing.

"As a result, the issue involving Karunanayake's resignation is turning out to be a fresh political crisis," a senior government spokesman told Asian Mirror.

"If he doesn't resign the President and the Prime Minister will be forced to expel him from the Cabinet," he added.

Sources close to the President said the Minister would be given a few more days to tender his resignation.

They said the President would dismiss him from the Cabinet, if he failed to step down.

"Expelling a senior member of the UNP from the Cabinet will be a tough call. But, the Prime Minister has already given the indication to the President that the former will not go out of his way to protect Karunanayake," an informed source close to the President, who wished to remain anonymous, explained.

The proposed no-confidence motion against Foreign Minister Ravi Karunanayake still hangs in the balance, with former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, the de facto leader of the Joint Opposition, yet to give green light for the move, informed political sources said.

The Joint Opposition earlier this week announced that they would move a no-confidence motion against Karuananayake over the latter’s alleged ‘Penthouse’, funded by Perpetual Treasuries boss Arjuna Aloysius.

At the time the Penthouse was leased, Karunanayake was the Finance Minister and Aloysius was already at the centre of the Treasury Bonds controversy.

However, when the matter was discussed at a meeting chaired by Rajapaksa, the former President had said no-confidence motion should be brought against the entire government, not only against Karunanayake.

As a result, the meeting had ended without a final decision on the no-confidence motion against the Foreign Minister.

Speaking to Asian Mirror, a senior member of the Joint Opposition said a final decision on Karunanayake’s no-confidence would be made this week, with the consent of the former President.

“Our stance is that he has to step down from his government. He should tender his resignation, with or without the no-confidence motion,” he said.

A proposal to set up a National Economic Council will be presented to Cabinet again after a discussion between the President and the Prime Minister, a senior government minister said.

He said President Maithripala Sirisena proposed to set up the Council, as the top-most body on economic matters, as a solution to problems surrounding the Cabinet Committee on Economic Management (CCEM).

The new Council will be headed by President Sirisena.

When the proposal to set up a Council was presented to the Cabinet last week, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, who heads the CCEM, said he wanted to discuss the matter with the President, separately.

Following the Prime Minister's remark. the President deferred the proposal and said it would be taken up against after his discussion with the Prime Minister.

Political observers say the setting up of the National Economic Council will make the CCEM redundant.

Informed government sources said the discussion between the President and the Prime Minister on the proposed National Economic Council would be held this week.

The Presidential Commission of Inquiry appointed to investigate the Treasury bond issue has ordered alleged Perpetual Treasuries Director Arjun Aloysius to submit the username and password used on his Apple account.

Last week, the Presidential Commission ordered Aloysius to hand communication devices used during the period 2015-2016 to the Criminal Investigations Division (CID) attached to the Commission.

Aloysius had complied but it was found that the devices handed over were not older than six months, prompting the Presidential Commission of Inquiry to ask Aloysius to hand over the relevant devices.

Perpetual Treasuries is said to have made unprecedented gains during the issuance of Treasury bonds at the Central Bank of Sri Lanka, while his father-in-law Arjuna Mahendran was at the helm as Governor.

Former first lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa failed to appear before the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) today. 

She had been summoned before the CID over the murder of Rugby player Wasim Thajudeen.

The CID took measures to summon the former first lady as her name had been mentioned in connection with the investigation. 

The former first lady was due to appear before the investigators at 9 am today. 

Informed Police sources said Rajapaksa is due to appear before the CID tomorrow as well