Fort Magistrate Thanuja Lakmali today (25) ordered the release of the V8 vehicle, alleged to have been assembled, to its registered owner, Sujeewa Senasinghe, on a bond of Rs. 100 million.
The Magistrate also issued directives prohibiting the sale, modification, or transfer of the vehicle and instructed that it must be produced before the court whenever required.
Lawyers representing Sujeewa Senasinghe informed the court that no evidence had been presented proving the vehicle was assembled. They further stated that the vehicle was neither seized by customs nor unregistered with the Department of Motor Traffic. Additionally, the Government Analyst’s report confirmed that no assembly had been conducted on the vehicle.
The court’s decision followed a request from a legal team, including President’s Counsel Maithri Gunaratne and Farhan Kasim, who argued for the release of the vehicle to its registered owner. The Magistrate acknowledged their assistance in the ongoing proceedings regarding the vehicle.
In a related directive, the Magistrate ordered the Department of Motor Traffic to submit the original MT 6 form used to register the vehicle to the Inspector of Suspicious Documents at the Government Analyst’s Department for further investigation.
The order comes amid an ongoing Criminal Investigation Department (CID) inquiry, which includes allegations raised by former Member of Parliament J. Sri Ranga. The MP claimed that the signature on the MT 6 form used in the vehicle’s registration transfer was not his.
