Appeal Court blocks arrest of Upul Tharanga on return to Sri Lanka

The Court of Appeal today (October 16) issued an interim injunction preventing the enforcement of a warrant issued by the Matale High Court for the arrest of cricketer Upul Tharanga, the Chairman of Sri Lanka Cricket’s Selection Committee, after he failed to appear in court to testify in a match-fixing case.

The order was issued by a Court of Appeal bench comprising Justices Mohammed Laffar and P. Kumararatnam, following the consideration of a writ petition filed by Upul Tharanga regarding the warrant issued against him.

Additionally, the court issued another order to the Inspector General of Police (IGP) and officers of the Sports Corruption Prevention Unit, named as respondents in the petition, preventing them from arresting Upul Tharanga.

The Matale High Court had issued the warrant on October 8, 2024, for Upul Tharanga’s failure to appear in court to provide testimony in a case related to match-fixing during the “Legends Cricket Trophy” tournament, which concluded at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in March 2024.

The case is based on a complaint filed by Upul Tharanga himself, alleging he was pressured to fix matches for money during the tournament.

The warrant was issued after Upul Tharanga left the country without informing the court, and it called for his arrest at the airport.

The court was informed that the arrest warrant was issued while Upul Tharanga was in the United States, where he was participating in a franchise cricket tournament.

Senior Counsel Nishan Sydney Premathiratne, with Shenali Dias and Vikum Jayasinghe, on the instructions of Gamindu Karunasena, appeared for petitioner Upul Tharanga.