Former Presidential Secretary Saman Ekanayake, who had been remanded in custody, was released on bail after being produced before the Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court today (18).

In delivering the order, the Magistrate emphasised that the decision to grant bail was primarily based on the principle of fairness and parity between the two suspects in the case.

Ekanayake, named as the second suspect, is accused of approving funds for a private overseas trip undertaken by the first suspect. The court observed that, according to the charge sheet, the alleged offence itself had been committed by the first suspect, former President Ranil Wickremesinghe, while Ekanayake’s role appeared to be secondary in nature.

The Magistrate further noted that the first suspect had already been granted bail after submissions were made regarding a critical medical condition while he was receiving treatment at the Emergency Treatment Unit of the Colombo National Hospital. He was released following his hospitalisation.

Significantly, the court observed that there had been no subsequent reports of the first suspect falling into a similarly critical condition after being granted bail.

In that context, the Magistrate held that it would be unjust to continue to remand only the second suspect when the principal accused was already on bail. Treating the matter as a special circumstance grounded in equal treatment before the law, the court ordered that Ekanayake be released on two surety bails of Rs. 2 million each.