The Colombo High Court has ordered that Daisy Forrest be discharged from a money laundering case in which she was accused alongside Yoshitha Rajapaksa.
The judge issued the order after considering submissions that she is not mentally fit to stand trial. Ms Forrest is described as Mr Rajapaksa’s grandmother.
Separately, Mr Rajapaksa told the Colombo High Court on Tuesday that he is not guilty of the charges filed against him under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. He made the statement when the charges were read out in open court.
The discharge removes Ms Forrest from the proceedings. The case against Mr Rajapaksa continues.
Background
The Prevention of Money Laundering Act makes it an offence to deal with property derived from unlawful activity in order to conceal its origin. Cases under the Act that are filed by the Attorney General are heard in the High Court, where the indictment is read to the accused and each accused is asked to plead before a trial begins.
A defendant who pleads not guilty goes on to a full trial, in which the prosecution must prove each charge. Where a court is told that a defendant cannot understand the proceedings or take part in a defence because of the state of their mind, the law allows the judge to consider whether the trial can go ahead against that person. In this case the court accepted the submissions made on behalf of Ms Forrest and discharged her.
What it means
For readers following the case, the proceedings now continue against Mr Rajapaksa alone on the charges that were read out on Tuesday. The next steps, including any trial dates, will be set by the High Court.
