Sri Lanka to send police team to UAE to arrest former envoy

Sri Lanka will send a police team to the UAE to arrest and bring back former president Mahinda Rajapaksa's nephew, who was detained by police at the Dubai International Airport while on transit to the United States.
Udayanga Weeratunga was issued with an international warrant for arrest for financial irregularities during the time he served as the country's ambassador to Russia, a political appointment of the Rajapaksa government.
"Officers will soon be sent to Dubai to bring Udayanga Weeratunga to Sri Lanka," Minister of Law and Order Sagala Ratnayake said today.
Weeratunga had been travelling on an illegal diplomatic passport, Ratnayake said, adding that the foreign ministry is working with the Dubai authorities on the matter.

Last year, the Sri Lankan courts froze his bank accounts and banned the sale or transfer of his properties.
Several top officials of the Rajapaksa regime have faced corruption charges since the former president was defeated in 2015 polls.