Indictments filed against former State Minister Shasheendra Rajapaksa and 2 others

The Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) has today (19) filed indictments before the Colombo High Court against former State Minister Shasheendra Rajapaksa and two other defendants over corruption charges.

The other defendants named in the indictment are Sepalika Saman Kumari and Keerthi Bandara Kotagama.

The indictment contains 10 charges against the accused. The prosecution has also listed 30 witnesses and 38 documents as case material.

According to the charges, the accused are alleged to have committed the offence of corruption and aided and abetted the commission of the offence by using official influence to pressure certain government officials attached to the Office for Reparations to obtain compensation amounting to Rs. 8.85 million.

The allegations relate to a building and other properties unlawfully constructed on land belonging to the Mahaweli Authority of Sri Lanka in the Sevanagala-Kiriibban Wewa area. The properties were damaged during the 2022 island-wide protests. Despite an earlier decision rejecting compensation for the properties, the accused are alleged to have influenced officials to secure compensation payments for the damages.