Sri Lanka ex-minister arrested over theft of king's sacred moonstone

A former Sri Lankan minister, Keheliya Rambukwella, was arrested on Tuesday over the theft of a centuries-old sacred moonstone from the palace of the island's last Sinhala king. Sri Lanka's anti-corruption commission said he had conspired in the theft and later obstructed the police investigation.

Why was Keheliya Rambukwella arrested?

Sri Lanka's Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) accused Rambukwella of conspiring in the removal of a valuable carved granite moonstone from a royal palace entrance in December 2022. The commission said he also obstructed police investigations into the theft while he was serving as a minister at the time.

What is the moonstone linked to the theft?

The stolen object is a heavy, carved circular granite rock known as a moonstone, part of a symbolic stepping-stone entrance to the palace of Veera Parakrama Narendrasinghe. He was the king who reigned until 1739. CIABOC said in a statement that Rambukwella "conspired, aided and abetted the theft" during his time as minister.

What other charges does Rambukwella face?

Rambukwella has also been charged with using state funds to employ six people for his private business, an offence unrelated to the moonstone case. His arrest comes amid a separate, ongoing court case over the purchase of counterfeit medicines for state hospitals during his tenure as health minister. Police have told the court he authorized the purchase of a life-saving cancer drug that turned out to be water, and several senior health ministry officials have also been indicted over the drug scam.

When did the drug scam allegations emerge?

Rambukwella was health minister when Sri Lanka faced an acute shortage of medicines after defaulting on its $46 billion foreign debt in April 2022, following the country's declaration of bankruptcy.