There isn't enough evidence to issue warrants for the two Indians involved in the 'Krish' deal.

The request made by the Bribery Commission to Colombo Chief Magistrate Asanga S. Bodaragama to issue warrants for Indian nationals Amit Kattayar and Rajendra Prasad Gupta, two directors of Krish Transer Private Company, for investigations related to the controversial 'Krish' transaction, was rejected yesterday (02) due to insufficient evidence.

In response to this request made by an investigating officer appearing for the Bribery Commission, who took the witness stand, the Magistrate pointed out that a warrant cannot be issued based solely on facts presented in documents. The Magistrate emphasized that before issuing a warrant, the investigating officer must inform the court with sufficient evidence related to the incident through a 'B' report.

In connection with this incident, evidence was led by the Assistant Director (Legal) of the Bribery Commission. According to the evidence provided by the investigating officer, it has been alleged that Member of Parliament Namal Rajapaksa received a bribe of seventy million rupees on several occasions through Nimal Hemasiri Perera via an account of Krish Transer institution. Namal Rajapaksa has been named as the fourth suspect in the incident, and the third suspect, Janaki Siriwardena, is currently in remand custody.

The investigating officer informed the court that although summons letters were sent via airmail to obtain information from the Registrar of Companies office regarding the two Indian national directors and to record their statements, no response has been received so far. The investigating officer, in response to questions raised by the Magistrate, revealed that Amit Kattayar served as the Chairman and Director, and Rajendra Prasad Gupta served as the Executive Officer and Director of this company, which was registered in Sri Lanka on September 09, 2012.

Furthermore, the witness stated before the court that the relevant sum of 70 million rupees was received into an account maintained under the name 'Krish Transer Colombo Panel' through a private bank, and although a report has been obtained from the relevant bank regarding this, the corresponding 'bandage sheets' (transaction slips/supporting documents) have not yet been found.

After considering all the facts presented, the Chief Magistrate, announcing his order, stated that the evidence presented by the Bribery Commission was insufficient to issue warrants merely by stating the need to record statements from these two Indian national suspects, who have been named for September 24, 2026. The Magistrate pointed out that while the Bribery Commission has the power to arrest suspects even without a warrant, sufficient evidence regarding the relevant crime must be filed before doing so, and thus rejected the Bribery Commission's request.