The government provides evidence against Basil, the former Tourism Promotion Chairman during the Rajapaksa era.

Mr. Bashwara Gunaratne, who served as the Chairman of the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB) during the tenure of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, has agreed to appear as a state witness against former Minister Basil Rajapaksa. Mr. Gunaratne, considered a close associate of Mr. Basil Rajapaksa, was arrested on charges of misusing Rs. 7.8 million belonging to the Tourism Promotion Bureau in 2014 and was currently held on remand.

When the case was called before Colombo Fort Magistrate Pasan Amarasena, President's Counsel Rienzie Arsecularatne, appearing for Mr. Bashwara Gunaratne, informed the court that his client had given a confidential statement to the Magistrate under Section 127 of the Code of Criminal Procedure. Accordingly, the President's Counsel requested the court to name him as a state witness in this case and release him on bail.

Meanwhile, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) informed the court that former Minister Basil Rajapaksa would also be named as a suspect in connection with this incident. Magistrate Pasan Amarasena also issued a warrant for the arrest of Mr. Basil Rajapaksa, who is currently abroad. Furthermore, the Magistrate ordered the Criminal Investigation Department to submit an affidavit if a court order is required to issue international summons against Mr. Basil Rajapaksa.

Here, the Magistrate ordered the release of Mr. Bashwara Gunaratne on a surety bail of one hundred thousand rupees and two personal bails of ten million rupees each. Although the suspect was granted bail, the court ordered that Mr. Rumi Jaafari, the former Managing Director of the Tourism Promotion Bureau and the third suspect in this case, be further remanded until June 17. This lawsuit was filed based on the charge of printing T-shirts targeting the last Uva Provincial Council election and using them for election campaign activities.