A number of court proceedings have now been initiated regarding alleged fraud and corruption said to have occurred during previous governments. Charges have been filed in court against former Presidents as well as former Ministers. In several of these cases, lawyers have presented medical reports to court describing the health conditions of the accused in order to request bail. This trend most recently appeared during the trial involving former President Ranil Wickremesinghe.
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Below are the submissions made in court by the lawyers representing suspects Ranil Wickremesinghe, Shasheendra Rajapaksa, Prasanna Ranatunga, and Daisy Forrest when requesting bail.
Health Condition of Ranil Wickremesinghe
President’s Counsel Anuja Premaratne presented the following facts regarding the medical condition of Ranil Wickremesinghe:
“Your Honour, after this suspect was remanded, several medical examinations were carried out in prison. These examinations were not conducted for the purpose of submitting reports to court. Following these tests, it was revealed that the suspect cannot be kept in the prison hospital. As a result, he was transferred to the National Hospital and is now receiving treatment in the Intensive Care Unit,” President’s Counsel Anuja Premaratne stated.
Presenting further facts, he added:
“Your Honour, three arteries near the suspect’s heart are blocked. Because these blockages are located close to the heart muscles, surgery cannot be performed. His diabetes is elevated. His blood pressure is high. He also has kidney-related issues. There is a complication in the upper part of his pancreas. He also experiences periods of breathlessness while asleep—his breathing stops for two to three minutes at a time. The medical reports have been submitted by the doctors who have been treating this suspect for nearly seven years. He requires 24-hour medical supervision. Being in remand custody increases his mental stress.”
Considering these special facts, President’s Counsel Premaratne requested the court to release his client on bail.
Health Condition of Shasheendra Rajapaksa
Appearing for former State Minister Shasheendra Rajapaksa, President’s Counsel Anuja Premaratne told the court:
“Your Honour, this suspect suffers from sleep apnea. His health condition has severely deteriorated. He suffers significantly from sleep apnea—a condition where breathing stops repeatedly during sleep. According to medical reports, this suspect experiences 35 such breathing interruptions per hour. To control this condition, he must use a sleep apnea machine. Additionally, his snoring must be monitored, and if any changes occur, the machine settings must be adjusted accordingly. This machine cannot be used by just anyone—someone who understands the patient’s condition must be present. For nearly a month, the suspect has been in prison without this machine. As a result, his blood pressure has increased. Last week, he was admitted to the prison hospital due to this condition. His life is now in danger…”
He requested that the suspect be granted bail.
Health Condition of Prasanna Ranatunga
Regarding the health condition of former Minister Prasanna Ranatunga, President’s Counsel Nalin Ladduwahetty submitted:
“Your Honour, due to a surgical procedure performed on this suspect, he cannot consume regular meals. He must be given small portions of food every four hours, with special protein supplements. Without this, his life will be at risk. Therefore, I request that these health factors be considered when granting him bail.”
Court Order by the Colombo Chief Magistrate
After considering the submissions, Colombo Chief Magistrate Asanga S. Bodaragama delivered his order.
Health Condition of Daisy Forrest
Appearing for Daisy Forrest, President’s Counsel Anil Silva stated:
His client suffers from dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, and therefore the continuation of this case against her lacks a valid foundation.
He further stated that his client is a 98-year-old elderly woman who can no longer attend to her own personal needs.
Given her current mental state, she has no understanding of the alleged offence or of the court proceedings. She is unable to comprehend the nature of the charges or make a decision to accept or deny the allegations.
