Namal further remanded until 30 Sept., bail ruling deferred

Thursday, 24 September 2026 00:20 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Namal Rajapaksa

Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) MP Namal Rajapaksa has been further remanded until 30 September by the Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court in the money laundering investigation linked to SriLankan Airlines’ purchase of Airbus aircraft.

Fort Magistrate Pasan Amarasena deferred the ruling on Rajapaksa’s bail application after seeking clarification from the prosecution on three matters connected to parallel investigations into the Airbus transaction, according to Court reports.

The Court asked whether the money laundering investigation and the investigation under anti-bribery laws are being conducted jointly, and whether the case before the Fort Magistrate’s Court should be transferred to the Colombo Chief Magistrate’s Court. It also asked whether the Director General of the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) had filed a certificate under Section 149 of the Anti-Corruption Act in the case before the Colombo Magistrate’s Court.

Deputy Solicitor General Janaka Bandara told the Court that such a certificate had been filed in the case before the Colombo Magistrate’s Court. He said the prosecution intended to provide written submissions on the other matters raised.

The Magistrate ordered the prosecution to provide the requested clarifications on 30 September and said the order on Rajapaksa’s bail application would be delivered after considering them.

Rajapaksa has been named the fourth suspect in the Fort Magistrate’s Court case, which involves alleged financial irregularities and money laundering linked to the purchase of Airbus aircraft for SriLankan Airlines.