Ex-SL minister held over phone recording scam

COLOMBO: Sri Lankan authorities have arrested a former minister who allegedly recorded 100,000 phone calls, the sometimes lewd and compromising contents of which were leaked on social media.

In what has become a major scandal, Ranjan Ramanayake is heard discussing court cases with judges, police, politicians and local celebrities in some of the recordings. Police, who seized hard drives from Ramanayake’s home, said they were investigating whether the recordings had been used for blackmail or other criminal activity.

The opposition lawmaker, 56, who was remanded in custody earlier this week, has said he is being targeted for speaking out against corruption. In some of the leaked audio tapes, Ramanayake is heard slating the leadership of his own opposition United National Party, which has since suspended his membership. Parliamentary speaker Karu Jayasuriya said the scandal demonstrated the moral degradation of the otherwise conservative Buddhist-majority nation of 21 million people.

"Recording private conversations as well as broadcasting them (illegally) shows the moral decay in our country," Jayasuriya said in a statement urging the clergy to encourage higher ethical standards in society.