Key government official arrested for making fake passport for Karandeniya Sudha

A current Senior Assistant Secretary to the President’s Secretariat has been arrested by the Central Criminal Investigation Department (CCID) on charges of helping an organised criminal, Karandeniya Suddha, to flee the country by forging a passport in the name of another person. The arrest was made in a special operation conducted yesterday (26) afternoon and is said to have worked in the Parliamentary and Cabinet Divisions. The raid was conducted following a lengthy investigation by the Central Crime Branch's Homicide and Organised Crime Investigation Unit. Fake Passport Initial investigations have revealed that the suspect had previously worked as the Deputy Controller of the Foreign Consular Section of the Department of Immigration and Emigration. The fake passport was prepared by him, who had worked as the Deputy Controller of the Foreign Consular Section of the Department of Immigration and Emigration in 2023. During that period, it has been confirmed that the fake passport was prepared by him by criminally abusing his official authority and departmental organisational access on behalf of the relevant organised criminal. The lengthy statements show that a senior official representing the highest administrative body of the country, maintaining direct links with international criminal networks and organised criminals, and contributing to the fraudulent preparation of government documents is a serious legal offence that affects national security and the credibility of the entire public service. The police have taken steps to record lengthy statements from the suspect, a Senior Assistant Secretary, regarding other individuals involved in this criminal network of counterfeiting passports and the financial transactions that took place in connection with it. The Central Bureau of Investigation is conducting further investigations into the matter and it is reported that after recording the statements, the suspect will be produced before the courts in the near future.