Colombo Chief Magistrate Asanga S. Bodaragama on Tuesday granted bail to Namal Rajapaksa in the Krrish bribery case, but the MP will stay in remand custody over a separate case.
Rajapaksa, a Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) Parliamentarian, was arrested by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) over an alleged bribe of Rs. 70 million. The commission alleges the money was accepted in return for arranging the transfer of land at Transworks Square in Colombo to the Krrish company for a multipurpose development project.
The magistrate ordered that Rajapaksa and former Krrish company director Janaki Siriwardena, who was arrested over the same alleged bribe, be released on bail. Each suspect must provide three sureties of Rs. 5 million each and a cash bail of Rs. 100,000.
The court also imposed a travel ban on both suspects and ordered them not to interfere with prosecution witnesses or exert any influence on them.
At an earlier hearing, Rajapaksa’s lawyers asked the court to release him on bail, citing the serious illness of his mother and father as an exceptional circumstance. CIABOC objected to the request. The magistrate announced the order on Tuesday after considering the submissions made by both sides.
Rajapaksa remains in remand custody because of another case relating to SriLankan Airlines, in which he has not yet been granted bail.
Background
CIABOC is the state body that investigates complaints of bribery and corruption and, after an arrest, produces suspects before a magistrate. The magistrate then decides whether the suspect is to be remanded or released on bail, after hearing both the commission and the defence.
Bail orders in such cases commonly carry conditions. Sureties, cash bail, restrictions on foreign travel and bans on contacting witnesses are among those the court applied here. Rajapaksa had been held in remand since his arrest in the Krrish matter, and the court had been due to rule on his latest bail application on Tuesday.
The allegations against both suspects have not been tested at a trial, and neither has been found guilty of any offence.
What it means
The bail order in the Krrish case does not by itself free Rajapaksa. The remand order in the SriLankan Airlines case still applies, so any release would depend on a separate bail decision in that case.
The travel ban means that neither Rajapaksa nor Siriwardena can leave Sri Lanka while the Krrish case continues. If the prosecution believes a bail condition has been broken, it can bring the matter before the court.
