The Colombo Magistrate’s Court today (12) issued a warrant for the arrest and production of former Minister Rajitha Senaratne, who has been named as a suspect in an investigation conducted by the Bribery Commission.
Colombo Additional Magistrate Pasan Amarasena made the order after considering submissions from the Bribery Commission, which alleged that the former minister was obstructing the investigation by repeatedly avoiding giving statements.
When the case was summoned through a motion, Assistant Legal Director of the Bribery Commission, Sulochana Hettiarachchi, told the court that on May 19, 2012, then Fisheries Minister Rajitha Senaratne had granted approval to commence a project to remove sand that had accumulated in the Kirinda Fisheries Harbour, clean it, and release it to the local market. The approval was granted based on a proposal submitted by the Korean company “Sea Woo Private Limited.”
Hettiarachchi noted that under standard procedure, such a proposal should be submitted to a Cabinet sub-committee for consideration and approval, following a review of relevant environmental and technical reports. However, in this instance, the former minister had bypassed the normal process and relied solely on a report from the Chairman of the Fisheries Harbours Corporation before granting approval.
Once the project was awarded, the Korean company was found to lack the necessary facilities to remove the sand. As a result, equipment and resources, including the ship Weligovwa owned by the Fisheries Harbours Corporation, had to be provided to the company. According to the Bribery Commission, this caused the Fisheries Harbours Corporation a financial loss exceeding Rs. 262 lakh.
The court was further told that the Bribery Commission had initiated an investigation into the matter and had issued multiple notices summoning Rajitha Senaratne to provide a statement. However, he failed to comply. Hettiarachchi alleged that both Rajitha Senaratne and his son, Chathura Senaratne, had attempted to obstruct the probe by making various public statements to the media, and that the former minister was deliberately evading the investigation.
The court heard that the suspect had previously filed an anticipatory bail application before the Colombo Magistrate’s Court, which was rejected. He had then filed a revision petition before the Colombo High Court against that decision, but the Bribery Commission has not yet received any notice regarding the petition.
When the Magistrate inquired whether the High Court had issued any interim order preventing the arrest, Hettiarachchi confirmed that no such order had been made. She further stated that investigators had searched five locations believed to be connected to the suspect, but he could not be located. She requested the court to issue an arrest warrant, given that the suspect was accused of an offence and was actively obstructing and evading the investigation.
After reviewing the facts, the Magistrate noted that the Bribery Commission’s evidence indicated that the suspect was deliberately avoiding the inquiry, fully aware that an investigation was underway against him.
Accordingly, acting under Section 63(1)(a) of the Criminal Procedure Code, the Additional Magistrate ordered that a warrant be issued for the arrest of the suspect to ensure his production before court for the ongoing investigation.
