The story of how Yoshitha, an Arts student, was given an opportunity exclusively meant for Science students, by bending the rules.

A bitter truth from a past where the rules and basic qualifications in state institutions were turned upside down due to powerful influences, while war heroes shed blood on the battlefield, is now unfolding before the court. The Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption informed Colombo Additional Magistrate Lahiru Silva yesterday (17) that the then Navy Commander had even altered the recruitment conditions to enlist Mr. Yoshitha Rajapaksa, son of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, who lacked proper educational qualifications, as a cadet officer in the executive branch of the Navy.

After Mr. Yoshitha Rajapaksa, who was arrested on suspicion under the Anti-Corruption Act, was produced before the court, he was ordered to be released on strict bail conditions with three personal sureties of 5 million rupees each, and his foreign travel was completely prohibited.

Although it was stated that he joined the Navy to boost the morale of true war heroes who risked their lives fighting for the nation's security, investigations have revealed that this suspect has not engaged in any service on the war front. This recruitment, which deprived many qualified ordinary young people of a fair opportunity to join the Navy, has completely violated the principle of equal rights for all, enshrined in the Constitution. Appearing for the prosecution, Deputy Director General of the Bribery Commission, Attorney Ruwini Wickremasinghe, pointed out to the court that a significant financial loss of over 6.284 million rupees has been caused to the government by misusing state property for foreign tours and luxury training courses instead of serving the country.

According to investigation reports, this process occurred in an extremely astonishing manner. A representative from Sri Lanka was nominated and sent for the world-renowned training course of the British Royal Navy in October 2006. Although this special opportunity is usually given to officers who have completed two years of service in the Navy and received awards as the most talented students, the suspect Mr. Yoshitha Rajapaksa officially joined the Navy only in December 2006. This means his name was recommended and sent for British training two months before he even wore the naval uniform. It was revealed in court that the mandatory qualification of passing Advanced Level in Mathematics and Science streams, which was previously required to join the Navy, was changed specifically for the suspect, who had appeared for the Arts stream, and even newspaper advertisements were published at the time.

The Bribery Commission alleges that then Navy Commander Wasantha Karannagoda and others conspired with the suspect, spending over 5.4 million rupees from government funds for this recruitment and training, and another 800,000 rupees as personal expenses. The prosecution requested that the suspect be remanded, as such acquisition of opportunities, which were historically reserved for the most talented officers in the Navy, through political power could cause severe public unrest. However, President's Counsel Sampath Mendis, appearing for the suspect, argued that there was no impediment to granting bail to the suspect according to the provisions of the Bail Act, and that no such public unrest had been created so far.

After considering the arguments of both parties, the Magistrate released the suspect on strict bail conditions and ordered that the progress of the investigations be reported back to the court on August 04. In a democratic country where the law should be equal for all, what turning point will this trial take in the future regarding how individuals at the peak of power bent the state machinery to their will? In the end, only one question remains: in an era where power was protected in the name of war heroes, was the fate of truly qualified individuals determined solely by political favoritism?