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Arjuna Mahendran extradition: S’pore seeks clarifications for 4th time  

28 Feb 2021

Singapore has sought further clarifications from Sri Lanka on the request made to extradite former Central Bank of Sri Lanka Governor Arjuna Mahendran, a key suspect in the controversial Treasury Bond Scams, for the fourth time since the process began in September 2019, The Sunday Morning learnt.  It is learnt that Sri Lanka’s Attorney General’s (AG) Department is currently in the process of providing those clarifications as requested by Singapore AG’s Department.  This was confirmed to The Sunday Morning by sources in Sri Lanka’s AG’s Department.  Prior to the latest update, Sri Lanka had already submitted clarifications to Singapore on three separate occasions.   “We sent an extradition report quite some time ago. Thereafter, thrice we provided further material Singapore’s AG’s Department wanted. They wanted us to provide further clarifications and we are in the process of doing that,” sources at the AG’s Department said.  As per the details mentioned in the document submitted to Parliament by Justice Minister President’s Counsel M.U.M. Ali Sabry in December 2020, the extradition request pertaining to Mahendran was submitted to the AG’s Chambers of Singapore on 17 September 2019 through the official diplomatic channel. On 23 September 2019, the AG’s Chambers of Singapore had acknowledged the receipt of the papers.  Thereafter, on 27 January 2020, the AG’s Chambers of Singapore had sought clarifications on various issues inter alia pertaining to the involvement of Mahendran and additional funding requirement of the Government, among others, via electronic mail. Responses to the said clarifications had been dispatched to the AG’s Chambers of Singapore on 16 March 2020.  Again, on 27 May 2020, the Interpol in Singapore had informed the Interpol National Central Bureau for Sri Lanka that Mahendran had changed his name to “Arjan Alexander” and the red notice issued against Arjuna Mahendran had been thereafter updated accordingly.  Consequent to said name change, on 2 May 2020, the AG’s Chambers of Singapore had informed that no amendment would be required to the extradition request that has already been made and that the Singaporean Government would continue to process the request as it is.  However, on the same day, the AG’s Department of Sri Lanka had received an email from the AG’s Chambers of Singapore whereby further material had been sought from the Government of Sri Lanka to move forward with the extradition request. The requested material was submitted to the AG’s Chambers of Singapore via email on 12 June 2020.  Further material to explore the possibility of whether the conduct of Mahendran falls within the extraditable offences set out in the First Schedule of the Extradition Act of Singapore was submitted to the AG’s Chambers of Singapore on 4 December 2020 via email.   


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