Friday Sep 18, 2026
Friday Sep 18, 2026
Friday, 18 September 2026 00:04 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
Former Navy Commander Admiral of the Fleet Wasantha Karannagoda
Yoshitha Rajapaksa
The Colombo High Court has ordered that the corruption case filed by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) against former Navy Commander Admiral of the Fleet Wasantha Karannagoda and Yoshitha Rajapaksa be called for a pre-trial conference on 13 October.
The case was taken up before Colombo High Court Judge Ravindra Premaratne yesterday, with both accused, who are out on bail, appearing before the court.
Appearing for Karannagoda, President’s Counsel Shavindra Fernando told the court that complete copies of certain statements submitted as evidence in the case had not been provided to the defence. President’s Counsel Sampath Mendis, appearing for Yoshitha Rajapaksa, separately requested clear copies of certain documents submitted by the CIABOC, saying some were unclear.
Responding, CIABOC Deputy Director General Ruwini Wickramasinghe said some of the documents sought by the defence had already been submitted to the High Court and could not be provided by the Commission, while those still in the CIABOC’s possession could be handed over.
After considering the submissions, the court ordered that the documents requested by the defence and currently in the court’s custody be provided, subject to payment of the prescribed fees. It also ordered that any other relevant documents held by the CIABOC be released to the defence.
The CIABOC has indicted the two accused on charges of committing a corruption offence by recruiting former President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s son, Yoshitha Rajapaksa, as a Cadet Officer to the executive branch of the Sri Lanka Navy in 2006 despite him not possessing the required qualifications, and by spending public funds to send him for training at the Royal Naval College in the United Kingdom outside established procedure.
