Two of the six firearms issued to former President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s son, Yoshitha Rajapaksa, remain in his possession, Defence Secretary Air Vice Marshal (Retd) Sampath Thuyyakontha stated.
Speaking at a special press conference held at the Ministry of Defence yesterday (29), the Defence Secretary confirmed that Yoshitha Rajapaksa has been instructed to return these firearms, with at least one required to be surrendered immediately.
During the conference, the Defence Secretary also revealed that an audit conducted by the Ministry of Defence found 182 firearms issued for security purposes have yet to be returned.
The audit, initiated last year, reviewed 1,697 licensed firearms distributed among 1,550 individuals. Of these, 1,368 firearms have been returned for inspection. However, some individuals who have not surrendered their weapons are currently overseas.
Legal action has been initiated against those who have failed to comply, and the law will be enforced as per the instructions of the Attorney General’s Division.
