Minister Samaraweera in a letter to the IGP said that several media reported that one his media Coordinating Secretary has been arrested in Dubai with underworld gangster Makandure Madush and that he was granted a diplomatic passport by me.“”I have already announced that these allegations are baseless during a press briefing called by me at the Finance Ministry on February 6. However,Parliamentarian Thenuka Vidanagamage at a press conference held at Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna office in Colombo had said that the diplomatic passport holder arrested in Dubai is one of my Coordinating Secretaries”, he said

He said that Parliamentarian Dilan Perera had said that the diplomatic passport has been issued to the suspect through my Coordinating Secretary.Samaraweera said that these statements will cause damage to his reputation as a Parliamentian who represented Parliament for 30 years. “These statements made by these Parliamentarians are aimed at rescuing the people who were involved in this drug mafia,”he said. He added that people in the country have not forgotten how politicians protected the drug smugglers under the Rajapaksa governemnt.

Minister Samaraweera added that legal action would be taken against those who made unsubstantiated allegations against him at media conferences. He also added action would also be filed against the media institutions that gave publicity for such malicious and baseless allegations.