The Bribery Commission today (19) filed indictments before the Colombo High Court against former State Minister Shashindra Rajapaksa and three others on charges of corruption.
The other defendants named in the indictment are Sepalika Saman Kumari and Keerthi Bandara Kotagama. A total of 10 charges have been filed, with 30 witnesses listed and 38 documents submitted as exhibits.
Sepalika Saman Kumari, a key accused, is the former Acting Director General of the Compensation Office for Damage (Hanipurna Office) and is currently serving as Additional Secretary to the Ministry of Justice and National Integration.
Keerthi Bandara Kotagama, a former Director General of the Sri Lanka Mahaweli Authority, is accused of influencing Mahaweli Authority officials — including the Resident Manager of the Walawa Zone — to issue a permit in the name of Manoj Hemalal Ekanayake, an employee of Shashindra Rajapaksa.
According to the Bribery Commission, the accused abused their official positions to influence officials of the Compensation Office to obtain Rs. 8,850,000 as compensation. This payment was allegedly secured despite the fact that the damaged property — including a building — had been illegally constructed on land belonging to the Sri Lanka Mahaweli Authority in Kiriibbanwewa, Sewanagala, and was damaged during the unrest on May 9, 2022.
The investigation was initiated following a complaint by Lalith Dissanayake. Previously, Assistant Director (Legal) of the Bribery Commission, Sulochana Hettiarachchi, informed the Magistrate’s Court that although officials had assessed the compensation amount, Rajapaksa allegedly pressured them to increase the valuation.
When officials resisted, they were reportedly summoned to Parliament, where a meeting was held under Rajapaksa’s chairmanship and further pressure was exerted to raise the compensation amount. In addition, officials of the Mahaweli Authority were also allegedly pressured and issued letters in this regard.
The land in question does not belong to Rajapaksa. The compensation was instead received by Manoj Ekanayake in two instalments via cheques. Rajapaksa is also charged under Sections 5(1) and 8(1) of the Public Property Act for criminal misappropriation of Mahaweli Authority property.
Rajapaksa was arrested at his residence in Nugegoda and remanded multiple times on the orders of Colombo Chief Magistrate Thanuja Lakmali Jayatunga and later Magistrate Asanka S. Bodaragama.
His lawyers, President’s Counsel Anuja Premaratne and Sampath Mendis, argued that Rajapaksa is not the owner of the land and that the main suspects remain at large. They also informed the court that he suffers from severe sleep apnoea, requiring a breathing device, and that his condition worsened in custody due to lack of access to the machine. They stated that he had been hospitalised for high blood pressure and requested bail on humanitarian grounds. They further noted that he is scheduled to sit his first-year law examinations in October.
However, the Bribery Commission opposed bail, arguing that his release could influence witnesses and hinder the investigation. An official from the Commission also questioned the severity of his medical condition.
Shashindra Rajapaksa is the eldest son of former Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa and the nephew of former Presidents Mahinda Rajapaksa and Gotabaya Rajapaksa. He served as Chief Minister of Uva Province from 2009 to 2015, was later elected to Parliament from the Monaragala District in 2020 representing the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna, and held several State Ministerial portfolios related to agriculture and irrigation.
Previously, in May, the Bribery Commission informed the court that it would take steps to arrest him in connection with a 2021 incident involving a stock of allegedly substandard fertiliser imported from a Chinese company, which caused a reported loss of USD 6.9 million to the government.
( English translation of an articel published by Tharidu Uduwaragedara on whatnews.lk)