Court of Appeal rejects bail for W.M. Mendis director in Rs. 3.5 billion VAT case

The Court of Appeal today (November 12) rejected the bail request of Randev Dinendra John, a director of W.M. Mendis & Company Ltd., who is currently serving a six-month prison sentence for failing to pay Rs. 3.5 billion in Value Added Tax (VAT).

The bail application was reviewed by a bench comprising Court of Appeal Justices Sobitha Rajakaruna and Mahen Gopallawa.

This case follows a recent ruling by the Colombo Magistrate’s Court, which sentenced John to imprisonment on VAT evasion charges.

Seeking relief, John filed a writ petition requesting that the Court of Appeal overturn the prison sentence and grant him bail.

However, the court announced that it would not intervene in the Magistrate’s proceedings at this stage.

The Court of Appeal scheduled the next hearing for November 29, 2024, to review further details of the case.