Rishad Bathiudeen’s brother remanded

Former Northern Provincial Councilor Rifkan Bathiudeen has been remanded until the 06th of February, under the orders of the Colombo Chief Magistrate Lanka Jayaratne.

Rifkan Bathiudeen, a brother MP Rishad Bathiudeen, was arrested by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) over a forged land deal and was produced before the Colombo Chief Magistrate today (23).

Reportedly, Rifkan Bathiudeen had sold a 40-acre land in Talaimannar owned by another person to a private company under a false deed. Bathiudeen had allegedly obtained Rs 49.2 million from the deal.

President’s Counsel Kalinga Indratissa, appearing on behalf of the suspect Rifkan Bathiudeen, requested the court to release him on bail as there is no certainty that his client was involved in the crime.

However, the CID stated that further investigations are being conducted into the incident and requested the court to remand the suspect until the investigation is completed.

Stating that releasing the suspect at this point may hinder investigations, the Magistrate ordered Bathiudeen to be remanded until February 06.

Meanwhile, the court also ordered the release of a person claiming to be a notary, who is currently remanded in connection with the incident.