Shasheendra Rajapaksa and two others indicted over compensation case

Former State Minister Shasheendra Rajapaksa and two others have been indicted before the Colombo High Court over allegations of unlawfully obtaining Rs. 8.85 million in compensation through the misuse of official influence.

The Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) filed the indictments today (June 19) against former State Minister Shasheendra Rajapaksa, along with Sepalika Saman Kumari and Keerthi Bandara Kotagama.

According to the Bribery Commission, the indictment contains 10 charges against the three accused. The prosecution has also listed 30 witnesses and 38 documents as case material.

The accused are alleged to have committed the offence of corruption and aided and abetted the commission of the offence by using official influence to pressure certain government officials attached to the Office for Reparations to obtain compensation amounting to Rs. 8,850,000.

The charges relate to a building and other properties that were allegedly unlawfully constructed on land belonging to the Mahaweli Authority of Sri Lanka in the Sevanagala–Kiriibban Wewa area.

According to the allegations, the properties were damaged during the island-wide Aragalaya unrest on May 9, 2022. Although the Office for Reparations had reportedly refused compensation for the properties, the accused are alleged to have influenced officials to secure compensation payments despite that decision.

CIABOC claims that the compensation was obtained through the misuse of official influence, resulting in payments being made for properties that were not eligible for compensation.