The Colombo Chief Magistrate’s Court has granted bail to Yoshitha Rajapaksa, who was arrested earlier today by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC).
Colombo Additional Magistrate Lahiru Silva ordered that Rajapaksa be released on three personal sureties of Rs. 5 million each after considering submissions made by both the Bribery Commission and the defense.
The court also imposed a foreign travel ban on the accused as a condition of bail.
Yoshitha Rajapaksa, the second son of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, was arrested after appearing before the Bribery Commission to provide a statement in connection with an ongoing investigation.
The inquiry relates to his admission to the Sri Lanka Navy and subsequent training at the Royal Naval Academy in the United Kingdom.
According to CIABOC, Rajapaksa is being investigated over allegations of aiding and abetting an act of corruption linked to the recruitment of cadet officers to the executive branch of the Sri Lanka Navy in 2006.
Investigators allege that certain individuals were recruited without fulfilling the required qualifications and that public funds were used outside established procedures to facilitate training at the Royal Naval Academy.
Following his arrest, Rajapaksa was produced before the Colombo Chief Magistrate’s Court, where the court subsequently ordered his release on bail pending further legal proceedings.
