The Harak Kata bribe case has widened after court heard Wijeyadasa Rajapaksa travelled on the same Dubai flight as the suspects.
The Harak Kata bribe case took a dramatic turn after Colombo Chief Magistrate Asanga S. Bodaragama today (26) ordered three suspects, including the son of a former Justice Minister, to be remanded until the 3rd of next month.
The case concerns allegations that a Rs. 12 million bribe was accepted from the wife of organised underworld gang leader Nadun Chinthaka Wickramaratne, also known as “Harak Kata,” to secure relief from detention and other related matters.
Those remanded are lawyer Rakitha Rajapaksa, son of former Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapaksa, Charith Abeysinghe, a constituency organiser of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya, and Aruna Waruna Handigamage, a former director of the Civil Aviation Authority.
The Magistrate rejected in full the bail applications submitted on behalf of the suspects, who were arrested and produced before court by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption.
The most controversial detail revealed in court was that the three suspects had returned to Sri Lanka from Dubai on the same flight on March 29, 2023, after allegedly concluding the bribe negotiations. It was also stated that former Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapaksa, the father of Rakitha Rajapaksa, had also taken part in the same trip.
Assistant Director General of the Bribery Commission Anusha Sambandhapperuma told court that, as the former Justice Minister had also been connected to the flight and the trip, a broad and special investigation would be conducted into that matter in the future.
Accordingly, investigation teams are preparing to record a statement from former Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapaksa in the coming days. Meanwhile, social media speculation has intensified over the possibility that he may also be arrested.
According to facts revealed in court, the alleged bribe money had not been paid in Sri Lankan rupees but in dirhams, the currency used in the United Arab Emirates.
The operation had allegedly been coordinated through a person named Nirmal Bandara, also known as “Herbi,” who is residing in Dubai. The three suspects had travelled to Dubai on March 23, 2023.
At Herbi’s residence in Dubai, they allegedly met Madushika Maduwanthi, the wife of the underworld figure known as “Harak Kata,” and Midigama Ruwan, who is currently in custody, and held discussions.
During the meeting, the suspects had initially demanded Rs. 50 million. That amount was later reduced through negotiations to Rs. 30 million and finally to Rs. 20 million.
Of that amount, Rs. 12 million was allegedly requested as an advance payment. According to investigations, the money was paid in dirhams, with Rs. 10 million handed over on one day and another Rs. 2 million paid the following day.
