Yoshitha Rajapaksa Granted Bail After Court Appearance

Yoshitha Rajapaksa, the second son of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, who was remanded in custody under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, has been granted bail today (January 27) after being produced before the Colombo Magistrate’s Court.

Yoshitha was brought to court by prison officials this morning, following his earlier arrest by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) on January 25 in the Beliatta area. He was initially remanded by the Aluthkade No. 5 Additional Magistrate Pavithra Sanjeevani and ordered to remain in custody until January 27.

The case, valued at Rs. 34 million, involves allegations of money laundering linked to a land transaction in Ratmalana. The Attorney General had instructed the CID on January 23 that sufficient evidence existed to name Yoshitha Rajapaksa as a respondent in the matter. The investigation also implicates his grandmother, Daisy Forrest Wickremesinghe, also known as "Daisy Achchi," as the primary suspect in the case.

A team of state counsels, led by Additional Solicitor General Dileepa Peiris, appeared on behalf of the plaintiff during today’s court proceedings.

The case remains ongoing, with legal proceedings expected to continue as investigators examine the allegations further.