Former Minister Rajitha Senaratne appears before court

Former Minister Rajitha Senaratne, who had been issued a warrant for his arrest, appeared before the Colombo High Court today (29).

The Magistrate’s Court had issued a notice to Senaratne on August 20, directing him to appear before the court, said Ada Derana reporter. 

The notice was issued following a request by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC), with Colombo Chief Magistrate Thanuja Lakmali issuing a proclamation under Section 60(1) of the Criminal Procedure Code.

Meanwhile, the Colombo High Court decided yesterday (28) to hear a revision petition filed by Rajitha Senaratne, seeking to revise and cancel the warrant issued against him by the Magistrate’s Court. 

Accordingly, the Colombo High Court has ordered that notices be issued to the Director General of the Bribery Commission and other officials named as respondents in the petition.

However, as per the notice from the Magistrate’s Court, Senaratne is required to appear today. Thus, the High Court did not issue any interim injunction regarding a request made by President’s Counsel Kalinga Indatissa, representing Senaratne, to suspend the arrest warrant.

The Bribery Commission is investigating Senaratne following an anonymous complaint received in 2013. The complaint relates to a 2012 incident in which the government allegedly suffered a loss of over Rs. 26.2 million due to the transfer of a sand mining project at the Kirinda Fishery Harbour to a Korean company in violation of legal procedures.