Singapore questions Sri Lankan leader's allegation it is harbouring a fraudster wanted over a multimillion dollar trading scam

Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena claims a former central bank chief accused of manipulating bond auctions is holed up in the city state

But Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs says Colombo has failed to provide the documents to support its extradition request

2-MIN READ2-MIN

Sri Lanka's President Maithripala Sirisena accused Singapore of harbouring a fugitive former central bank chief on Monday. Photo: Reuters

Published: 5:51pm, 20 Mar 2019Updated: 5:59pm, 20 Mar 2019

Singapore on Wednesday rejected Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena’s allegation that it was sheltering a former central bank chief wanted for fraud, saying Colombo failed to provide documents to support its extradition request.

On Monday, Sirisena accused Singapore of sheltering Arjuna Mahendran, one of his country’s former central bank chiefs wanted in connection with a high-profile US$74 million insider trading scam.

Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. Photo: Bloomberg

The Sri Lankan president said he had appealed to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in January to return Mahendran, who is believed to be in Singapore, but claimed nothing had been done.

Mahendran, a Singapore national of Sri Lankan origin, was accused in 2015 of passing sensitive information to his son-in-law, a bond dealer, to make millions.

The pair are accused of manipulating bond auctions in 2015 and 2016, causing losses of over US$11 million to the state.