– Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) General Secretary Sagara Kariyawasam has been released on bail after being produced before Kaduwela Magistrate Aruna Buddhadasa today.The Magistrate released Kariyawasam on two surety bails of Rs. 2 million each and imposed a travel ban preventing him from leaving the country.

Court proceedings included lengthy submissions from both the prosecution and the defense, which concluded at around 4:30 p.m. After considering the arguments for nearly three hours, the Magistrate delivered a 17-page bail order.Kariyawasam was permitted to leave court after fulfilling the bail conditions.

The Central Criminal Investigation Bureau (CCIB) had launched an investigation following remarks allegedly made by Kariyawasam on August 3 concerning Inspector General of Police Priyantha Weerasooriya.He had been instructed to appear before the CCIB to provide a statement and arrived at the bureau this morning, where he was subsequently arrested.

He was later produced before the Kaduwela Magistrate’s Court.A large number of opposition parliamentarians and representatives of political parties were also present at the court premises during the proceedings.