– The Colombo Chief Magistrate, Asanga S. Bodaragama, today remanded until July 3 the son of a former Justice Minister, a Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) electorate organizer, and another individual over allegations that they accepted a Rs. 120 million bribe from the wife of alleged organized crime figure Nadun Chinthaka Wickramaratne, alias “Harak Kata.”The Colombo Chief Magistrate also directed that the necessary orders be issued to the Prison Department regarding the security of the suspects.

The Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) informed the court that it had filed a certificate under Section 149, signed by the Director General, against the suspects. According to the certificate, special circumstances are required for the granting of bail. The Magistrate observed that no such special circumstances had been disclosed on behalf of the suspects and accordingly ordered that they be remanded.The suspects remanded are Attorney-at-Law Rakitha Nirmala Rajapaksa, son of former Minister of Justice, Prisons Affairs and Constitutional Reforms Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe; Charith Wasantha Kumara Abeysinghe, the Samagi Jana Balawegaya organizer for the Horana electorate; and Varushahennadige Aruna Sri Chathuranga, a former Director of Airport and Aviation Services (Sri Lanka) Ltd.

CIABOC told the court that the suspects had allegedly solicited the bribe in Dubai in 2023 in return for making arrangements to protect the life of alleged organized crime figure Nadun Chinthaka Wickramaratne, alias “Harak Kata,” who was being detained by the Criminal Investigation Department under detention orders. According to CIABOC, this included taking steps to have the detention orders against the suspect lifted, transferring him from the Boossa High Security Prison in Galle to another prison, and securing his release from the investigations and related legal proceedings.