The Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) informed the Colombo Chief Magistrate’s Court on Friday (17) that investigators had received information indicating that a portion of the Rs. 120 million bribe allegedly obtained from the wife of underworld figure and alleged drug trafficker Nadun Chinthaka Wickremeratne, alias “Harak Kata”, had been passed on to certain senior police officers through a Buddhist monk.
The revelation was made when the case against Attorney-at-Law Rakitha Rajapaksa, former Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) Horana organiser Charith Abeysinghe, and former Civil Aviation Authority Director Aruna Varushahennadige was taken up before Colombo Chief Magistrate Asanga S. Bodaragama.
The three suspects are accused of allegedly accepting a Rs. 120 million bribe in exchange for securing favourable treatment for Harak Kata while he was in detention. Rajapaksa is the son of former Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe.
Presenting a progress report on the investigation, CIABOC Assistant Director (Legal) Anusha Sambandapperuma told court that investigators had recorded a statement from Maheshika Madhuwanthi, the wife of Harak Kata.
She said Madhuwanthi had voluntarily provided a video-recorded statement detailing the alleged incident, along with a CD containing the recording. Investigators had also taken into custody a mobile phone containing recorded conversations between her and the suspects after the alleged promises made in exchange for the bribe were not fulfilled.
CIABOC further informed court that its investigations had corroborated earlier claims made by Nirmala Bandara, also known as “Herby”, who had alleged that Abeysinghe contacted him from India to discuss the bribe while the other two suspects were with him.
According to immigration records, all three suspects travelled to India together on 3 March 2023 and returned to Sri Lanka on 7 March 2023 aboard the same flights. An analysis of telephone records had also corroborated Herby’s account, CIABOC said.
The Commission further disclosed that investigators had identified more than 1,300 telephone calls exchanged among individuals connected to the case.
CIABOC also told court that investigators had identified the Buddhist monk allegedly involved in transferring a portion of the bribe money to certain senior police officers. Further details would be reported to court once the information had been fully verified, the Commission said.
In addition, CIABOC revealed that it had received another complaint alleging a separate bribery incident involving the same three suspects and that a separate investigation into the allegation had commenced.
During the hearing, President’s Counsel Neville Abeyratne, appearing for Abeysinghe, sought bail on the grounds that the prosecution had not produced the alleged bribe money before court and argued that the case primarily relied on witnesses linked to drug trafficking offences.
He also cited his client’s heart condition and family circumstances, including that he has three two-and-a-half-year-old triplets, as exceptional grounds for bail.
President’s Counsel Nalinda Indatissa, appearing for Rajapaksa, also sought bail, arguing that his client faced threats to his life while in custody and suffered from severe sleep apnoea requiring the nightly use of a CPAP machine, which he claimed could not be adequately used in prison.
After considering the submissions, the Chief Magistrate fixed 28 July to deliver the order on the bail applications and ordered that all three suspects be further remanded until that date.
