Sri Lanka court refuses to issue arrest warrants for two Indian directors in bribery case
You donβt have any Active Subscription.
Account subscription benefits alongside Premium Stories, Editorials, Opinions and more. Unlock these with Subscription
Sri Lanka's Member of Parliament Namal Rajapaksa (C) gestures as prison officers escort him to appear before a magistrate at a court in Colombo on September 18, 2026. | Photo Credit: AFP
A Sri Lankan court has refused to issue arrest warrants for two Indian directors of a company, in connection with an alleged bribery case for which Opposition leader Namal Rajapaksa is in remand custody.
Prosecutors from the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) had sought the arrest of Amit Katyal and Rajendra Prasad Gupta, directors at an Indian investment project, Krish Hotels.
The Colombo Chief Magistrate, on Friday (October 2, 2026), refused to issue the arrest warrants, citing a lack of evidence, and asked the CIABOC to file a report in court covering evidence for the warrants' issuance.
Janaki Siriwardena, the local agent of the Indian investment project, and Mr. Rajapaksa, a prominent Opposition leader, are currently in remand as suspects in the alleged bribery case. Mr. Rajapaksa, 40, the elder son of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, has been accused of accepting a bribe of 70 million Sri Lankan rupees in 2013, in connection with the stalled hotel project. He was remanded in the case on September 29, 2026, until October 13, 2026.
According to the CIABOC, Mr. Siriwardena bribed Mr. Rajapaksa on several occasions to obtain key approvals for the project, which never got off the ground. Prosecutors alleged that Mr. Rajapaksa, as a powerful politician under his father's presidency at the time, had used his political weight to speed up the necessary approvals.
Mr. Rajapaksa, an international rugby player, has claimed the money was sponsorship for an international rugby event held in Colombo in 2014.
He has been in remand since September 4, 2026, in connection with a separate $2 million bribery case, and another remand order has been issued against him in a separate money laundering case.
Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.
We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.
