Namal Rajapaksa’s bail request in Krrish case to be considered tomorrow

Colombo Chief Magistrate Asanga S. Bodaragama has ordered that the Krrish case against Parliamentarian Namal Rajapaksa be taken up again tomorrow (October 28) to consider a request for bail based on the medical conditions of his parents.

The order was issued today (October 27) after President’s Counsel Ali Sabry filed a motion seeking bail for Rajapaksa, who is currently in remand custody in connection with the Krrish transaction.

During the hearing, Ali Sabry requested the court to consider the special circumstances presented earlier in the Airbus transaction case, which was heard before the Krrish case.

The President’s Counsel informed the court that Namal Rajapaksa’s father, former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, is now 81 years old, while his mother, Shiranthi Rajapaksa, is 74.

He stated that Mahinda Rajapaksa had recently received treatment in hospital and was now receiving care at home from his wife.

However, Shiranthi Rajapaksa, who has a pacemaker, was scheduled to undergo open-heart surgery at 4:00 PM today (October 27).

According to Ali Sabry, medical reports submitted to court when Shiranthi Rajapaksa was granted bail had confirmed that she needed two surgeries. One had already been completed, while the second, described as a high-risk operation, was scheduled for today.

The President’s Counsel further explained that Namal Rajapaksa, the eldest son of the family, had been living with his parents in the same house until he was remanded in custody.

He argued that these were exceptional circumstances that should be considered when deciding on bail, adding that it would be difficult to present any more exceptional circumstances without inventing them.

However, the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) opposed the bail request.

Representatives of the Commission informed the court that they had only learned about the motion after arriving for the Airbus case and that even the officers attending court had not been informed of it in advance.

CIABOC argued that the suspects and charges in the Airbus and Krrish cases were different and that submissions made in one case could not automatically be applied to the other.

The Commission therefore objected to granting bail and requested that the submissions presented in court be provided to the prosecution in writing.

Responding to the objections, Ali Sabry argued that although the suspects and charges differed between the cases, the family circumstances of Namal Rajapaksa remained unchanged.

He pointed out that Mahinda Rajapaksa and Shiranthi Rajapaksa remained his parents regardless of which case was being heard.

After considering the submissions from both sides, Chief Magistrate Asanga S. Bodaragama observed that the exceptional circumstances raised during today’s hearing had not been presented at the previous hearing of the Krrish case.

The Magistrate therefore ordered the case to be taken up again tomorrow (October 28) to consider the bail request.

The Court Registrar was also directed to provide the prosecution with copies of the written documents submitted to court today.