Colombo Chief Magistrate Lanka Jayarathne yesterday ordered the release of State Minister of Investment Promotion Keheliya Rambukwella and former State Printing Corporation (SPC) Chairman Jayampathi Bandara Heenkenda from a corruption case filed against them.
The Magistrate made this order pursuant to an order given by the Colombo High Court. The Magistrate observed that the Colombo High Court judge made this order considering the preliminary objections raised by the defence counsel.
The Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption had filed a corruption case against the two accused before Colombo Chief Magistrate’s Court for allegedly causing an unlawful loss of Rs.230,984 to the government after settling the former Minister’s mobile phone bill using SPC funds, while functioning as the Mass Media Minister in 2012.
The High Court Judge also mentioned in the verdict that there is no barrier for the Bribery Commission to file a fresh case against Keheliya Rambukwella and others following the correct legal procedure in future based on the order issued by the Colombo High Court Judge.
Meanwhile, the Defence Counsel had earlier filed preliminary objections to claim as the Commissioner-General of the Bribery Commission had not filed the documented approval from the three Commissioners of the Commission; the case cannot be taken forward.
However, the Magistrate’s Court dismissed the objections and ordered the case to continue. Thereafter, both Rambukwella and Heenkenda filed a revision application with the Colombo High Court against the order issued by the Colombo Chief Magistrate on March, 29 2019.