Renuka Perera arrested

Former Chairman of the National Transport Commission, Mr. Renuka Perera, has been arrested by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption. The arrest was made this morning (17) in connection with the illegal issuance of route permits for buses, and the Bribery Commission states that the suspect is to be produced before the Colombo Chief Magistrate's Court.

Mr. Renuka Dushyantha Perera, the administrative secretary of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna, was arrested today (September 17, 2026) by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) in connection with an alleged act of corruption involving the issuance of 56 passenger transport service licenses for the Southern Expressway. It is alleged that he issued these licenses while serving as the Chairman of the National Transport Commission (NTC), in contravention of the legal procedures of the National Transport Commission Act No. 37 of 1991 and disregarding the recommendations of the Cabinet decision dated September 19, 2014. He is accused of causing a significant financial loss to the government by failing to collect the due annual license fees, thereby providing undue advantage to private bus owners. He is scheduled to be produced before the Colombo Chief Magistrate's Court in connection with this incident.

The main accusation against him is the issuance of 56 passenger service permits for the Southern Expressway outside legal procedures and without collecting the relevant annual fees upfront. The Bribery Commission points out that this act is completely contrary to the provisions of the National Transport Commission Act No. 37 of 1991, as well as the recommendations of the Cabinet decision dated 2014.09.19.

Additionally, he had previously been arrested in connection with an incident involving the sharing of video footage related to the Mahaviru commemoration ceremonies held in 2024 on Facebook.

In 2022, the then Minister of Finance took steps to appoint Mr. Renuka Perera as the Chairman of Litro Gas, but the appointment was cancelled due to the intervention of then President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. Subsequently, in the same year 2022, he was appointed as the new Chairman of Milco.

Mr. Renuka Dushyantha Perera, a resident of Nagahawela Road, Angoda, Kotikawatta, served as the Chief Government Whip of the Western Provincial Council during the United People's Freedom Alliance administration. Subsequently, after separating from the Sri Lanka Freedom Party, he was appointed as the Administrative Secretary of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna, which was formed around the Rajapaksa family. During President Gotabaya Rajapaksa's tenure, with the intervention of then Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa, he was appointed as the Chairman of the state-owned dairy company MILCO on January 21, 2022.

He later resigned from the position on December 18, 2023, stating his opposition to the privatization of the company into an Indian-local joint venture. Trade unions accused that during his tenure, Milco transitioned from a profitable state to a loss-making one. An incident where employees confined him inside his office was also reported in 2023. Subsequently, he served as the Chairman of the National Transport Commission, and he lost that position in October 2024 with the appointment of a new board of directors under the National People's Power government, headed by Dr. Bandara Dileepa Vitharana.

Mr. Mahinda Rajapaksa is the chief political leader of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna, and Mr. Renuka Perera is a mid-level senior political activist who received positions based on Rajapaksa-friendly political patronage and party loyalty. Previously, in December 2024, he was arrested by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) at his Kotikawatta residence in connection with an alleged incident of spreading false information on social media regarding the Mahaviru Day in the North. He was later released on bail after being produced in court. Furthermore, in June 2026, the Supreme Court granted permission to hear a petition filed by Mr. Renuka Perera challenging the parliamentary seat of Public Security Minister Ananda Wijepala, on the grounds that Mr. Wijepala was serving as a Senior Additional Secretary to the President. However, the court refused to issue an interim injunction preventing Mr. Ananda Wijepala from sitting in Parliament.