Blemish-ridden cricketer ordered to vacate luxury apartments
Sri Lankan cricketer Ramith Rabukwella became the latest to be exposed in an alleged ill-gotten transaction when he was ordered by the country’s High Court to vacate two luxury apartments in Colombo in a never ending saga of cricketers and administrators embroiled in conflict with the law.
No stranger to disputes and scandals, Rambukwella 33, was ruled out of the two apartments valued at a whopping Rs. 145 million after the Bribery Commission filed a Petition in Court in support of an investigation into corruption.
He is the son of former Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella who is currently out on Court bail in connection with medical procurements related to recorded deaths that puts family members also under scrutiny and investigation.
The Bribery Commission told the High Court it would need three more months to complete investigations before charges can be filed.
Rambukwella, who makes news for the wrong reasons off the field, once attempted to open the door of an aircraft belonging to British Airways that was flying the second string or Sri Lanka A team after a tour of the West Indies in 2013 and was fined by Sri Lanka Cricket.
The shocking incident happened just weeks after his father Keheliya, who was a government Minister and its Media spokesman, called for the implementation of a code of conduct for journalists that put him (Keheliya) at the butt end of jokes.
In-flight staff at the time said it was not possible to open a pressurized door during mid-flight but intervened to calm down Rambuklwella who then claimed he mistook the door for the lavatory.
But passengers on board had described the incident as frightening.
Rambukwella had also played two T20 Internationals with the senior Sri Lanka team and most followers at the time believed he was selected taking into account political considerations.
Team selectors denied the claims.
In yet another incident in 2016, Rambukwella was called up by Sri Lanka Cricket to answer charges in connection with a late night brawl involving a team-mate in the premises of a hotel in downtown Battaramulla.
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