The Trial-at-Bar of Colombo High Court today (April 29) decided to proceed with the case against 2016 Central Bank bond scam without the presence of two of the accused – former CBSL Governor Arjuna Mahendran and a former director of Perpetual Treasuries Ajahn Gardiya Punchihewa.

The legal matter pertaining to criminal misappropriation of bonds valued at Rs. 15 billion during the Central Bank’s treasury bond auction held between March 29 and March 31, 2016 was taken up before Judges Amal Ranaraja, Namal Balalle, and Aditya Patabendige.

Senior State Counsel Lakmini Girihagama, representing the prosecution, told the judge bench that the third and the ninth accused in the case – Mahendran and Punchihewa – are currently fleeing custody in foreign countries.

Accordingly, she sought the permission of the judge bench to proceed with the case in the absence of the duo, under the provisions of Article 458 of Code of Criminal Procedure.

Arjuna Mahendran is one of the major suspects wanted by the authorities in connection with the Central Bank bond scam case.

In March this year, the Attorney General had made clarifications to his Singaporean counterpart for a third time regarding the request of extraditing the former Central Bank Governor.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs had forwarded the extradition request on Arjuna Mahendran, to the Sri Lankan High Commission in Singapore in September 2019. The extradition request was subsequently forwarded to the Government of Singapore for necessary action.

Meanwhile, later in 2020, International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) informed Sri Lanka that the former Central Bank Governor has changed his name to ‘Harjan Alexander’.