Former State Minister Shashindra Rajapaksa, along with two other defendants, has been formally indicted before the Colombo High Court on corruption charges.
The indictments, filed by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption, were presented before High Court Judge Ravindra Premaratne. Each defendant was released on two personal bail bonds of Rs. 1 million, while the court also imposed a ban on foreign travel.
The judge further ordered that the defendants’ fingerprints be recorded and scheduled the case for a preliminary hearing on August 5.
The other accused in the case are Sepalika Saman Kumari and Keerthi Bandara Kotagama.
According to the charges, the defendants are alleged to have abused their official authority to pressure government officers into approving compensation payments totalling Rs. 8.85 million. The payments related to property belonging to the Mahaweli Authority in Sewanagala and Kiriibbanwewa that was damaged during the May 9, 2022 unrest. The Commission alleges that the defendants sought compensation despite the property—including an unauthorised building—being ineligible for such claims, thereby committing and aiding acts of corruption.
