The Colombo High Court has acquitted former Minister Rajitha Senaratne and two others in connection with the controversial ‘white van’ media conference held in 2019. The case, which garnered significant attention, involved allegations of fabricating claims aimed at influencing public opinion during the 2019 presidential election.

Case Background
On 12 September 2022, former Minister Rajitha Senaratne and former State Pharmaceutical Corporation (SPC) chairman Rumy Mohamed pleaded not guilty to charges stemming from the ‘white van’ press conference. The allegations included the dissemination of false information and defamation.

In the lead-up to the 2019 presidential election, Rajitha Senaratne, then Health Minister, organized a press conference featuring two individuals, Anthony Douglas Fernando and Athula Sanjeewa Madanayake. At the event, the duo made explosive claims regarding alleged abductions, forced disappearances, and other crimes supposedly carried out using “white vans” during the tenure of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

One individual claimed to have been a driver involved in such abductions, while the other alleged involvement in transporting gold from former LTTE-controlled areas. The press conference provoked widespread controversy, with critics accusing Senaratne of orchestrating a politically motivated stunt.

Senaratne was arrested in December 2019 over his role in the press conference and was remanded in custody. However, he remained in hospital during his detention, citing medical reasons. On 30 December 2019, the Colombo Magistrate’s Court granted him bail. The Attorney General later challenged this decision with a revision application filed on 8 January 2020.