Yoshitha himself withdraws the petition seeking to halt his money laundering case.

Mr. Yoshitha Rajapaksa, son of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, withdrew the special leave to appeal petition he had filed before the Supreme Court, seeking to prevent the hearing of the case filed against him before the Colombo High Court under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.

The petition was considered before a three-member Supreme Court bench comprising Justices Mahinda Samayawardena, Sampath Abeykoon, and Gihan Kulatunga. There, Attorney Habil Faris, appearing for the petitioner, stated that the petition would be withdrawn while reserving the right to present the argument against the relevant charge in the Court of Appeal if his client is found guilty.

After Deputy Solicitor General Janaka Bandara, appearing for the Attorney General, expressed his agreement, the court granted permission to withdraw the petition. This case had been filed by the Attorney General before the Colombo High Court against Yoshitha Rajapaksa and Daisy Forest on the charge of conspiracy under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.

Subsequently, the Attorney General took steps to release Daisy Forest, the second accused in the case, and the petitioner's lawyers had raised a preliminary objection in the High Court that a conspiracy charge could not be maintained against a single accused after one accused was released. The revision petition filed after the High Court rejected that preliminary objection was also dismissed by the Court of Appeal.

Aggrieved by that decision, Mr. Yoshitha Rajapaksa had filed this special leave to appeal petition before the Supreme Court, and in these proceedings, Attorney Habil Faris, along with Attorney Ashoka Baran, appeared for the petitioner, and Deputy Solicitor General Janaka Bandara appeared for the Attorney General.