Janaki Siriwardena has been remanded until October 6 over an alleged Rs. 70 million bribe to MP Namal Rajapaksa linked to the Krrish project.
COLOMBO — Former Krrish Group director Geethanjalee Janaki de Soysa Siriwardena has been remanded until October 6 after being arrested by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) over an alleged Rs. 70 million bribe to Parliamentarian Namal Rajapaksa.
Colombo Chief Magistrate Asanga S. Bodaragama issued the order after Siriwardena was arrested by CIABOC officers and produced before court.
Investigators allege that the money was paid to Rajapaksa to obtain his assistance in expediting the transfer of Transworks Square in Colombo Fort, a property belonging to the Urban Development Authority (UDA), to Krrish Transworks for a mixed-development project and to facilitate the necessary approvals.
Rajapaksa has not been convicted in relation to the alleged payment, while Siriwardena’s arrest and remand do not amount to a finding of guilt against her.
Assistant Director of Legal Affairs Ama Wijesinghe, appearing for CIABOC, presented the Commission’s case to court.
CIABOC Alleges Rs. 70 Million Paid in Three Instalments
According to CIABOC’s submissions, the Rs. 70 million was allegedly transferred to Rajapaksa in three instalments during 2012.
Investigators gave the breakdown as:
- Rs. 40 million on October 15, 2012
- Rs. 10 million on November 18, 2012
- Rs. 20 million on December 12, 2012
CIABOC told court that the transactions were made through a bank account belonging to businessman Nimal Perera, who is currently residing in Australia.
According to the Commission’s submissions, Perera has said he is unable to return to Sri Lanka because of threats to his life but has confirmed the relevant transfers through a statement provided to investigators.
Prosecutors further alleged that Siriwardena had knowledge of the company’s financial affairs, agreements and board decisions.
Those assertions form part of CIABOC’s case and have not been determined by a court.
Defence Points to Existing High Court Case
Appearing for Siriwardena, attorney Amila Dissanayake argued that the same Rs. 70 million was already the subject of proceedings before the Colombo High Court.
In that case, the Attorney General previously indicted Rajapaksa over allegations that Rs. 70 million provided by Krrish Lanka for the promotion of rugby had been misappropriated.
Dissanayake told the Magistrate’s Court that Siriwardena had been identified as a key witness in the High Court proceedings and questioned the basis for pursuing a separate bribery investigation concerning the same underlying transaction.
The defence sought bail for Siriwardena on appropriate conditions and asked the court to consider personal circumstances, including her children’s education.
CIABOC rejected the defence argument that the existence of the High Court proceedings prevented a separate investigation.
Wijesinghe submitted that the Commission has authority under the Anti-Corruption Act to independently investigate allegations involving the giving and receiving of bribes, regardless of the criminal breach of trust proceedings already pending before the High Court.
Magistrate Rejects Bail Application
After considering submissions from both sides, Chief Magistrate Bodaragama declined to grant bail.
The Magistrate observed that matters arising in the pending High Court case could not be considered for the purposes of determining the present application at this stage.
According to the court proceedings described in the source material, CIABOC had also submitted a certificate under Section 149 of the Anti-Corruption Act.
The Magistrate found that exceptional circumstances sufficient to justify bail had not been demonstrated and ordered Siriwardena to remain in remand custody until October 6.
Her remand until that date has also been independently reported by several Sri Lankan news organisations.
CIABOC Allowed to Question Namal Rajapaksa in Prison
The court also granted permission for CIABOC investigators to record a statement from Rajapaksa in connection with the investigation.
Rajapaksa is currently in remand custody, and the Magistrate directed prison authorities to facilitate the recording of his statement.
The order does not constitute a finding against the parliamentarian. CIABOC is continuing its investigation into the circumstances surrounding the alleged payments.
A further stage of the inquiry concerns two former Krrish directors currently in India.
The source material identifies them as Amith Katyal and Rajendra Prasad Gupta.
Chief Magistrate Bodaragama directed CIABOC to present evidence to court on October 2 in support of its application for warrants concerning the two men.
The proceedings therefore continue on two tracks: CIABOC’s investigation into the alleged bribery transaction and the existing High Court case concerning the alleged misuse of Rs. 70 million provided for rugby promotion.
Siriwardena remains a suspect in the bribery investigation and is due before court again following the remand order, while the allegations against all parties remain subject to judicial determination.
