Yoshitha was wrongly admitted because he received an S for OL Sinhala, even if the required qualifications were changed - Bail for Karannagoda due to wife's illness

Former Navy Commander Admiral of the Fleet Wasantha Karannagoda was arrested by the Bribery Commission yesterday (03) morning in connection with the ongoing investigations into the incident of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa's son, Yoshitha Rajapaksa, being recruited to the Navy without the required qualifications. However, after being presented to the court following his arrest, the former Navy Commander was ordered to be released on two personal bails of Rs. 2.5 million each, and a travel ban was also imposed on him.

The Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption is already conducting an investigation into allegations that former President's son, Yoshitha Rajapaksa, was recruited as an officer to the Executive Cadet branch of the Sri Lanka Navy in 2006 without fulfilling the necessary qualifications, and that he was sent for a training course at the British Royal Naval College, deviating from the usual procedure that existed until then. Yoshitha Rajapaksa, who was arrested on June 17 as the first suspect in this investigation, was also released on bail after being presented to the court.

Former Navy Commander Admiral of the Fleet Wasantha Karannagoda was summoned to the Bribery Commission yesterday (03) to obtain a statement regarding these investigations, and after recording his statement, the Commission arrested him. Subsequently, the suspected former Navy Commander was presented before the Colombo Chief Magistrate's Court, where Ms. Ruwini Wickremasinghe, Deputy Director of the Bribery Commission, presented a further report to the court.

There, she stated the following before the court: “Your Honor, this complaint is regarding the recruitment of Yoshitha Rajapaksa to the Navy without qualifications, depriving qualified applicants of the opportunity. This suspect, who was then the Navy Commander, forwarded the name of Yoshitha Rajapaksa, who was a civilian, for a training course conducted at the British Royal Naval College for naval officers. While preparations were hastily made to recruit Yoshitha Rajapaksa to the Navy, this individual changed the recruitment qualification criteria for the Executive Cadet branch, the division Yoshitha Rajapaksa was to be recruited into, on two occasions. While the educational certificates and qualifications of other applicants were sent to the Examinations Department for verification, Yoshitha Rajapaksa's educational certificates were not sent in that manner. Even after the qualifications were changed for the first time and newspaper advertisements were published, Yoshitha Rajapaksa did not possess the minimum qualification of a credit pass for the Sinhala subject at the G.C.E. Ordinary Level. He only had a 'S' pass, or an ordinary pass, for the Sinhala subject. Subsequently, for a second time, this suspect changed the recruitment qualifications to match Yoshitha Rajapaksa's qualifications, enabling his recruitment.”

Here, Colombo Chief Magistrate Asanga S. Bodaragama inquired whether the prosecution had any objection to granting bail to the suspect, stating: “Looking at the factual circumstances, it is clear that there are grounds for reasonable suspicion that an offense has occurred. At this point, the issue is regarding bail. Does the prosecution object to granting bail to the suspect?”

Responding to the Magistrate's inquiry, the Bribery Commission official stated that the investigations are currently in their final stages, and since several more statements are yet to be recorded, they object to granting bail to the suspect until then. At that point, President's Counsel Shavindra Fernando, appearing for the suspected former Navy Commander, requested bail from the court.

The lawyer made his submissions as follows: “Your Honor, during the war, only a limited number of people joined the forces. The Security Council decided to increase recruitment. 50,000 were recruited to the Army, 25,000 to the Navy, and 15,000 to the Air Force. The President's son joining the military served as an encouragement for other parents to have their children join the forces, which is why this recruitment took place. This suspect is married. He has no children. His wife is critically ill. If he is remanded, there will be no one in the family to look after her. Therefore, I request the court to release him on bail.”

After considering all the submissions, Colombo Chief Magistrate Asanga S. Bodaragama ordered the release of the suspected former Navy Commander Wasantha Karannagoda on two personal bails of Rs. 2.5 million each. A travel ban was also imposed on the suspect, and the relevant legal proceedings are scheduled to be recalled on August 04.