Colombo, Oct 3: A Sri Lankan court has declined to issue arrest warrants for two Indian directors of an investment company in connection with an alleged bribery case involving opposition leader Namal Rajapaksa.
Prosecutors from the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) had sought warrants against Amit Katyal and Rajendra Prasad Gupta, directors associated with the Indian investment project Krish Hotels.
The Colombo Chief Magistrate on Friday refused to issue the warrants, citing insufficient evidence, and directed CIABOC to submit a report outlining the evidence supporting its request.
The case relates to an alleged bribe involving Janaki Siriwardena, the local agent of the Indian investment project, and Rajapaksa, who are currently in remand custody as suspects.
Rajapaksa, 40, the elder son of former Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, has been accused of accepting 70 million Sri Lankan rupees in 2013 in connection with a stalled hotel project.
According to CIABOC, Siriwardena allegedly made payments to Rajapaksa to secure key approvals for the project, which was ultimately not developed.
Prosecutors have alleged that Rajapaksa used his political influence during his father’s presidency to facilitate the approvals.
Rajapaksa has denied the bribery allegation and has said the money was sponsorship for an international rugby event held in Colombo in 2014.
He was remanded in the case on September 29 until October 13. He has also been in remand in connection with a separate case involving an alleged USD 2 million bribe, as well as another money-laundering case.
