COLOMBO – Sri Lanka’s Justice Minister, Harshana Nanayakkara, announced on Monday (27) that charges against Yoshitha Rajapaksa, the son of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, for alleged money laundering, are likely to be filed in court within a month.

Yoshitha Rajapaksa was arrested on Saturday (25) over suspected money laundering on a land ownership deal. However, on Monday (27), he was granted bail with two surety bonds of Rs 50 million each.

The new National Power Front (NPP)-led ruling party has been criticized after a court granted a bailout to the former president’s son, with some negative social media comments equating the NPP government to the previous administrations which failed to take action against the Rajapaksas.

“I want to give a certificate that it is not happening,” Justice Minister Nanayakkara said in a recorded video, noting, “A person getting bail does not mean he is acquitted from the charges. Bail is granted according to the provision of the Bail Act.”

He said the money laundering case with regard to Yoshitha Rajapaksa took place eight years ago and he had not been named a suspect so far. “We can understand the political reasons why it did not happen,” he added.

He also explained that before a person is charged by the court, it is a must to have his/her statement in the courts and that it was after considering all these, the Attorney General had ordered the police to produce Yoshitha to record a statement considering him a suspect.

“That is the normal procedure,” he said, adding that the court can grant bail if a person does not breach bail conditions if he does not leave the country if there is no public uproar if he comes out, and if he does not have any previous court cases that prove him guilty.

He also clarified that it was only bail and Yoshitha had not been acquitted from the legal case, stating that all the doubts would be removed within the next one-and-half or two months because the court would hear the case.

“The court will file charges within the next one month,” he emphasized, noting that the arrest was part of the court case and that the court has listened to both parties and granted bail.

Urging the public not to be worried about what’s being told in the media, he said, “Just wait with patience for the next 2-3 months to see what we are doing. Then you can decide if the National People’s Power government is following the same footsteps of the previous governments or a new path. Don’t be in a hurry for decision-making. What happened was we did not need to lock up somebody in jail for political revenge by denying bail.”

-economynext.com