On 26 July 2005, President Chandrika Kumaratunga told a meeting of 1,000 military officials that he was considering charging Athas under the Official Secrets Act after Athas wrote a column describing the purchase of a British logistics landing craft as a waste of money.
He entered the Sri Lanka Parliament in February 1989 as a nominated Member on the National List, In 1994, he was elected to parliament from the Kandy District representing the Sri Lanka Freedom Party and was appointed by Chandrika Kumaratunga, his niece as Cabinet Minister for Power and Energy and Deputy Defense Minister.
He is known to be a close confidante of the President Chandrika Kumaratunga, and he is believed to be one of her principal military advisors.
In 2001, Wijesekara left the President Chandrika Kumaratunga's ruling Sri Lanka Freedom Party and joined United National Party along with few other senior ministers of the government such as S. B. Dissanayake and G. L. Peiris.
The then president Chandrika Kumaratunga ordered an inquiry into the crime by the local the Criminal Investigation Department; According to UNHCHR no one has been convicted for the crime.