Namal denied bail again today - within another week

Parliamentarian Namal Rajapaksa was remanded again until the upcoming 30th by the Colombo Fort Magistrate's Court today (23), in connection with investigations into alleged money laundering related to the Airbus aircraft procurement process. The MP, who has been named as a suspect in this investigation conducted under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, was produced before the court today for the announcement of the order regarding the bail application he had submitted.

There, rejecting the bail application, the Magistrate pointed out that given the current situation, the court does not have the ability to consider granting bail to the suspect. The court stated that the main reason for this decision was that the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption is also pursuing another case before the Colombo Chief Magistrate's Court, specifically related to the Airbus transaction, and the suspect MP is already remanded until the 29th of this month in connection with that case.

The Magistrate, observing that there is some commonality between the charges included in the two cases being heard at the Fort Magistrate's Court and the Chief Magistrate's Court, pointed out that bail cannot be granted based solely on a case pending in one court.

Meanwhile, the Magistrate also took steps to issue three orders regarding the relevant complaint. Accordingly, the court inquired if there was any agreement to refer the case pending in the Fort Court to the Chief Magistrate's Court and to hear both the money laundering case and the case filed by the Bribery Commission together. The court also informed Deputy Solicitor General Janaka Bandara, who appeared for the prosecution, to state whether Namal Rajapaksa was produced before the Chief Magistrate's Court by the Bribery Commission with a report from the Director General of that Commission.