Former Minister C.B. Ratnayake Granted Bail!

Colombo Chief Magistrate Asanga S. Bodaragama today (16) ordered the release on bail of former Minister C.B. Ratnayake, who had been arrested and remanded by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption.

He had been accused of committing an act of corruption under the Money Laundering Act.

Charges were filed against him under Section 23 (a) (1) of the Bribery Act for allegedly illicitly earning over 57.3 million rupees (Rs. 57,347,956.98) during his tenure as Minister of Sports, Private Transport, and Livestock, and for possessing assets exceeding five crore rupees, the legal source of which he failed to disclose within a short period of two years.

This investigation was initiated based on an anonymous petition received in March 2015. The Bribery Commission informed the court that the suspect had illegally acquired the said amount between March 31, 2011, and March 31, 2013. The charges filed under the Anti-Corruption Act No. 19 of 2023 include several points, such as the purchase of land worth millions of rupees in the Ragala area,

maintaining a partnership business named 'NBR Sun', obtaining duty-free vehicle permits, spending money on friends' trips to Dubai, and receiving one crore rupees from a deceased brother.

The Magistrate ordered the suspect to be released on two personal bails of 2 million rupees each and also imposed a travel ban on him.