Update:Lankan Foreign Minister resigns ***

Sri Lanka's embattled Foreign Minister Ravi Karunanayake resigned on Thursday over a murky apartment deal involving a suspect in the Central Bank bond scam.

The minister made the announcement while making a special statement in parliament on Thursday. In his statement, he dealt with his extensive political career and the threats faced and lashed out at opponents and the parliamentary opposition in particular. 

The one-time finance minister is battling accusations that he was staying at an apartment for which the lease was paid by a suspect in the Central Bank bond scam, raising serious conflict of interest and ethical issues. The minister has denied any wrongdoing, saying the deal with the apartment was handled by his family and he was not aware of its contents or parties involved. However public calls have been mounting for his resignation.

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, speaking after Karunanayake, said that these developments show the honesty and good governance of the government in allowing the judiciary to function independently unlike the previous regime, creating a new culture of accountabiliity. ENDs-

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