The Colombo High Court today (14) dismissed a preliminary objection raised by the defense in the money laundering case filed against Yoshitha Rajapaksa, the son of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, clearing the way for the trial to proceed.
The order was delivered by Colombo High Court Judge Udesh Ranatunga, who ruled that there was no legal basis to accept the defense argument seeking the removal of the conspiracy charge from the indictment.
Delivering the ruling, the judge stated that the defense claim — that the conspiracy charge could not be legally maintained under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act — was without merit. Accordingly, the court held that there is no legal impediment to continuing proceedings against the accused under the existing charges.
Following the rejection of the preliminary objection, the indictment against Yoshitha Rajapaksa was formally read out in open court. Appearing in the dock, the accused pleaded not guilty to all charges, after which the High Court officially commenced trial proceedings.
The case centers on allegations that Yoshitha Rajapaksa failed to disclose the lawful source of funds used to establish and operate the Carlton Sports Network (CSN), a television channel reportedly launched with investments amounting to millions of rupees. Prosecutors allege that the funds involved were unlawfully obtained and subsequently laundered in violation of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.
The indictment further alleges that the accused conspired to conduct business activities by investing illicitly acquired funds into the media venture.
Another key allegation in the case is that more than Rs. 59 million in unexplained funds had been deposited in fixed deposit accounts maintained at three private banks between March 31, 2009, and December 12, 2013. The prosecution claims that the accused failed to provide a legitimate explanation for the source of these funds and thereby committed offences under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.
With today’s ruling, the Colombo High Court has paved the way for the case to proceed to full trial.