Former Minister Manusha Nanayakkara, who was summoned before the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption to obtain a statement regarding the referral of workers to Israeli jobs and arrested this evening, has been released on bail.
Former Minister of Labor and Foreign Employment Manusha Nanayakkara, who appeared before the Commission today to provide a statement in connection with an investigation conducted by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption regarding the methodology of providing Israeli jobs, was arrested by the Commission and produced before the court.
The Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption had initiated an investigation into the provision of Israeli jobs. The former Minister had filed an anticipatory bail application requesting to prevent his arrest in connection with the investigation. The bail application was rejected yesterday and accordingly, the court was informed that he would provide a statement before the Commission today. In addition, a written notice was also given to the Commission that a statement would be given to the Commission today.
However, a team of police officers who went to the former minister’s house last evening had searched the house to arrest him. Accordingly, the former minister, who came to give a statement to the Commission this morning, was arrested by the Commission.
With the outbreak of the conflict between Israel and Palestine, the recruitment of workers from other countries for jobs in the State of Israel began. The recruitment of workers was carried out according to a lottery system conducted by Israel and so far, more than ten thousand workers have left for Israel accordingly.
Workers working in Israel have sent a large amount of foreign exchange to this country. Accordingly, the amount of foreign exchange sent to the country by workers in Israel has been increasing in every quarter since 2023, according to Central Bank of Sri Lanka reports. In the last two quarters of 2023 alone, Sri Lankan workers who went to Israel for work sent $35.3 million.
In all four quarters of 2024, workers working in Israel sent $130.7 million. In the first two quarters of 2025 alone, workers in Israel sent $120.5 million.