By The Pulseline News Desk
Parliamentarian Namal Rajapaksa has been granted bail in one of the cases filed against him over alleged financial irregularities linked to the controversial Airbus deal, while bail is pending in a separate case arising from the same broader investigation.
Colombo Fort Magistrate Pasan Amarasena has ordered Namal’s release in the money laundering case filed by the Criminal Investigations Department (CID), on a cash bail of Rs. 500,000, together with two surety bonds of Rs. 30 million each.
The court has also imposed a travel ban on Namal and directed that the restriction be communicated to the Controller General of Immigration and Emigration.
As a further condition of bail, the Magistrate has ordered Namal not to interfere with witnesses connected to the case.
Bail in one case, remand in another
A separate case filed by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) connected to allegations arising from the controversial Airbus transaction is also continuing. The two cases involve separate proceedings, despite their connection to the broader investigation into alleged financial misconduct surrounding the deal. The CIABOC case is due next on 13 October at the Colombo Magistrate’s Court.
As a result, the bail granted today (30) applies only to the case before the Fort Magistrate’s Court and does not override the remand order in the other proceedings.
Namal had previously been remanded after appearing before court in connection with the separate Airbus-related case.
The latest development therefore leaves the parliamentarian facing two separate legal proceedings, with bail granted in one while the other continues to keep him in custody.
The case in which bail was granted is due to be taken up again on October 14, while proceedings in the separate case will continue independently.
The focus will now remain on the evidence being gathered by investigators and the progress of both cases arising from allegations surrounding the Airbus deal.
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