• Court queries why 2 surety guarantors aren’t quizzed in ex-Sri Lankan CEO’s death 

The Colombo Magistrate’s Court (MC) has ordered the release on bail of two suspects accused of acting as fraudulent sureties to secure bail for the late former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the SriLankan Airlines, Kapila Chandrasena, who later died under suspicious circumstances, along with two others who are alleged to have aided and abetted the said offence. Accordingly, the suspects who were in remand custody — Mohamed Rizwan and Mohamed Irshad — along with Ariya Thissa de Silva and an employee attached to the office of Chandrasena’s brother-in-law and cricketer Aravinda de Silva, Perumal Ganesh, were granted bail. Colombo Additional Magistrate Lahiru Silva ordered each suspect released on two sureties of Rs. 500,000 each and ordered that Grama Niladhari (GN) certificates be submitted to verify the residence of the sureties. The Magistrate further directed that the sureties submit affidavits declaring their assets to establish their financial capacity to meet the bail requirements.

When the case was taken up, an officer from the Keselwatta Police informed the Court that the suspects had obtained 17 GN certificates from the area’s GN officer since the beginning of the year (2026), allegedly for the purpose of furnishing bail in similar instances. The Police further stated that a statement had been recorded from the GN officer in question, and that investigations are ongoing, including the analysis of call detail records. They also informed the Court that inquiries are underway to determine whether the suspects had previously acted as sureties in other cases, evaded court appearances, or had outstanding warrants. The Police requested that the suspects be further remanded, arguing that investigations had uncovered evidence suggesting attempts to fraudulently act as sureties and facilitate bail for the deceased suspect, and that inquiries are still incomplete.

The counsel representing the two suspects alleged to have acted as fraudulent sureties argued that their clients had not signed any bail bonds. He submitted that signing a bond is a legal requirement to be recognised as a surety and that therefore, his clients could not be treated as such. He further requested that they be released on bail, stating that no evidence had been presented thus far to establish an offence. President’s Counsel Nalinda Indatissa, appearing for the suspect Ganesh, told the Court that his client had been employed under de Silva for nearly 22 years. He stated that his client was acquainted with Chandrasena and had attended Court solely to deposit cash bail on his behalf. He requested bail, arguing that no evidence had been produced to show any unlawful conduct.

After considering facts from both the parties, the Magistrate delivered the bail order and directed the Police to expedite the investigations. Accordingly, the case was fixed to be called again on 25 June.

Earlier, the Colombo Fort MC, on Tuesday (19), questioned the Police over the failure to record statements from two individuals who had stood as sureties for Chandrasena, whose death is being investigated under suspicious circumstances. The matter was raised during the third day of the Magisterial inquiry proceedings into Chandrasena’s death. During the hearing, investigators informed Court that closed circuit (CC) TV camera footage from the residence in which the body of Chandrasena was found and the surrounding areas had been examined, but that no evidence had emerged showing any outsider entering the premises between 5 and 7 May. The Colombo Crimes Division also informed the Court that CCTV systems at both the residence where the death occurred and the deceased’s residence had failed to store footage. Police sought permission to send the Digital Video Recorder units from the CCTV systems and unidentified medication recovered from the scene to the Government Analyst for examination. The Magistrate also questioned investigators regarding two guarantors whose names had surfaced during the inquiry. When asked whether statements had been recorded from the individuals, the Police responded that they had not yet been able to do so. The Magistrate then questioned how the investigation could proceed without obtaining statements from key individuals linked to the case. Police later informed Court that the two guarantors are currently in remand custody. The Court subsequently granted all investigative requests made by the Police and ordered further witness testimony to be recorded. Among the witnesses who testified was a nurse attached to a private hospital, who described the condition in which Chandrasena’s body was found after responding to an emergency call. A domestic employee at the residence where Chandrasena had been staying also testified, stating that he had last seen Chandrasena during the early hours of the morning carrying a white bottle near a water filter. An engineer from the company that installed CCTV cameras at the residence also gave evidence regarding the functioning of the surveillance system. The Magisterial inquiry was postponed until tomorrow (22) for further proceedings.