News

Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) National Organiser and Parliamentarian Namal Rajapaksa has been released on bail by the Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court in connection with money laundering allegations linked to the Airbus case.

Colombo Fort Magistrate Pasan Amarasena ordered Rajapaksa’s release on a cash bail of Rs. 500,000, along with two sureties valued at Rs. 30 million each.

The court also imposed a travel restriction on the MP and directed that the order be communicated to the Controller General of Immigration and Emigration.

As part of the bail conditions, Rajapaksa was further ordered not to interfere with or attempt to influence witnesses connected to the case.

The bail order was issued after the SLPP National Organiser had been held in remand custody in connection with the money laundering allegations.

A case brought under the Public Property Act against former President Ranil Wickremesinghe and former Secretary to the President Saman Ekanayake is due to be heard today (30) at the Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court.

The proceedings relate to allegations concerning the alleged misuse of public funds.

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID), which conducted the investigation into the matter, had earlier informed the court that its inquiries had been concluded. The CID also stated that the relevant case documents had been forwarded to the Attorney General for consideration and further action.

Following that submission, Colombo Fort Magistrate Pasan Amarasena directed that the case be taken up today to ascertain the position of the Attorney General regarding the matter.

The court is therefore expected to be informed of the Attorney General’s decision or further instructions when the case is called today.

Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) National Organiser and Parliamentarian Namal Rajapaksa, who is currently in remand custody, was produced before the Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court today (30).

Rajapaksa was brought before the court as proceedings in an ongoing legal matter involving him continued.

The MP appeared before the Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court in connection with the ongoing proceedings.

Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa has accused the government of cherry-picking economic figures in a recent joint state publication to project an overly optimistic view of Sri Lanka's recovery.

The critique targets the Socio-Economic Data report compiled by the Department of Census and Statistics alongside the Central Bank of Sri Lanka, released ahead of the national budget.

Premadasa said that state institutions violated basic statistical integrity by omitting critical updated figures on public hardship while highlighting positive macroeconomic trends.

Strategic gap in poverty metrics

The Opposition Leader said the publication applies recent data from 2023 through 2025 across its initial pages to present external trade, real gross domestic product, and consumer price indices.

The same updated metrics appear in later sections covering state debt, government revenue, and tourism figures. However, the core middle section detailing household living conditions relies entirely on figures collected between 2016 and 2019.

This outdated timeframe covers vital metrics such as daily per capita food intake, household income, and energy usage, masking the current reality faced by ordinary citizens.

Flawed foundation for budget planning

Premadasa emphasised that no comprehensive household income and expenditure survey has taken place since the national bankruptcy, leaving official poverty estimates fundamentally flawed.

He rejected state calculations suggesting an individual can live on Rs. 17,315 per month as an outright falsehood.

Presenting ancient data to establish conclusions on contemporary living standards marginalizes vulnerable groups and misleads the public.

The upcoming 2026 budget risks relying on deeply skewed figures that obscure the true extent of inequality across the island.

The deliberate suppression of current poverty data in official state reporting undermines the credibility of Sri Lanka's economic planning.

The Ministry of Women and Child Affairs has called on parents, guardians and caregivers to exercise greater caution when sharing photographs and videos of children on social media.

The warning comes amid a growing trend of children’s images and videos being posted online, with the expansion of monetisation features on platforms such as Facebook reportedly encouraging individuals and organisations to use such content for commercial purposes.

According to the Ministry, photographs and videos featuring children may be shared to highlight their talents, activities or daily lives, sometimes without the knowledge or consent of their parents or guardians.

Authorities have cautioned that repeatedly posting details of a child’s daily routine, home, school and activities could create risks to the child’s privacy and personal safety.

The Ministry has also highlighted concerns over the misuse of children’s images through artificial intelligence technology. Photographs uploaded to social media can potentially be altered or repurposed to produce explicit or other harmful material.

In light of these concerns, the Ministry has urged parents, guardians and others responsible for children to exercise extreme care before posting any content involving minors online.

The Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) has confiscated 801 reusable plastic bottles during a special inspection carried out at businesses selling such products in the Pettah area.

The Authority said investigations into the seized bottles are currently underway. Once the inquiries are completed, legal proceedings will be initiated against the owners of businesses found to have violated the relevant requirements, with cases to be filed before the Magistrate’s Courts.

The CAA highlighted that SLS 1616 is the applicable standard for reusable plastic bottles intended for carrying drinking liquids.

Under the requirements, reusable plastic bottles manufactured locally must carry the SLS product certification mark issued by the Sri Lanka Standards Institution (SLSI). Imported bottles are required to undergo the SLSI’s import inspection process and obtain approval before being placed on the market.

The CAA has urged consumers to check whether reusable plastic bottles comply with the applicable standards and legal requirements before making a purchase.

Members of the public who wish to report suspected market irregularities can contact the Consumer Affairs Authority through its hotline 1977.

Former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa arrived at the Colombo Magistrate’s Court a short while ago to provide evidence remotely in an ongoing case before the Jaffna Magistrate’s Court.

The case concerns the disappearance of activists Lalith Kumar Weeraraj and Kugan Muruganandan.

Rajapaksa appeared at the Colombo court in connection with arrangements to provide his evidence online as the proceedings in the case continue before the Jaffna Magistrate’s Court.

The Court of Appeal today (30) dismissed, without taking up for hearing, a writ petition filed by Sarvajana Balaya leader and Parliamentarian Dilith Jayaweera challenging a finding made by the Colombo Fort Magistrate in relation to an alleged contempt of court matter.

However, the three-member bench clarified that the dismissal does not affect Jayaweera’s position that he did not commit contempt of court in the main proceedings.

The ruling was delivered by a bench comprising Court of Appeal President Justice Rohantha Abeysooriya and Justices Chamath Morais and Aditya Patabendige.

In delivering the order, Justice Abeysooriya explained that the finding forwarded by the Magistrate to the Court of Appeal does not amount to a final determination. He said the Court of Appeal would first consider the Magistrate’s finding and issue summons to the respondents only if the court determines that there is a prima facie basis to proceed.

The bench also determined that the Magistrate had the authority to make such a finding under the Contempt of Courts Act, No. 8 of 2024.

Accordingly, the petition was dismissed on the basis that it did not, on the face of the petition, establish sufficient grounds to proceed with a case.

Complaint Against Former Ministers Taken Up

The Court of Appeal also considered today a contempt of court complaint submitted by the Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court against former ministers Wimal Weerawansa and Udaya Gammanpila and several others.

Senior Presidential Counsels Ali Sabry, Manohara de Silva and V.K. Choksy, appearing on behalf of Weerawansa, Gammanpila, Asanga Nawaratne, Mahinda Pathirana, Sugeeshwara Bandara and Dilith Jayaweera, submitted that the Magistrate’s complaint seeking the issuance of summons did not establish a prima facie case against their clients.

The counsel further requested that the respondents be allowed to make their submissions before the Court of Appeal reaches a decision on the Magistrate’s finding.

Deputy Solicitor General Janaka Bandara, representing the Attorney General, told the court that he would assist in the proceedings.

Following consideration of the submissions, the bench directed the Registrar of the Court of Appeal to obtain and place before the court all unedited video footage relevant to the matter ahead of the next hearing.

The complaint was subsequently scheduled to be heard again on October 7.

Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa called for an immediate reversal of recent policy changes to the rooftop solar sector, saying that new restrictions threaten green energy investments and burden electricity consumers across Sri Lanka.

Speaking during a visit to the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) in Colombo on Monday (28), Premadasa met with PUCSL chairman Professor K. P. L. Chandralal and senior officials to lodge his objections regarding the government's energy policy direction.

Disruption to renewable energy expansion

The Opposition Leader said the government's decision to discontinue the Net Metering and Net Accounting schemes for new rooftop connections in favour of the Net Plus model severely discourages small and medium entrepreneurs from investing in solar technology.

He pointed out that flat tariffs for rooftop solar systems up to 500 kilowatts were cut from Rs. 37 per unit to Rs. 27.06 in July 2024, with subsequent revisions further eroding investor confidence.

The Opposition Leader noted that developing 2,500 megawatts of solar capacity could save the national economy approximately Rs. 25 billion annually.

He also accused the government of arbitrarily freezing project approvals and creating artificial barriers for young professionals entering the renewable energy market.

Fuel reliance and systemic reforms

The Opposition Leader claimed that current policies directly benefit fossil fuel interests, describing the continued reliance on thermal energy generation as a setback for national green targets.

He highlighted the ongoing operation of power plants such as Yugadanavi, Sobadhanavi, and Sahasdanavi, arguing that delays in securing liquefied natural gas have forced a continued dependence on expensive diesel fuel.

The Opposition Leader noted that while the government publicly champions renewable energy, its regulatory decisions actively weaken the financial viability of private solar developers.

He stated that the opposition will pursue legal and political avenues both locally and internationally to protect the domestic solar industry and ensure affordable clean energy access for the public.

The Colombo High Court today (30) issued an arrest warrant for Ven. Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thera after the Bodu Bala Sena secretary failed to appear before court in a case concerning an alleged statement insulting Islam.

The case was called before the Colombo High Court today, with the court proceeding in the absence of the accused.

As Gnanasara Thera did not appear before the court, the judge ordered that a warrant be issued for his arrest.

The warrant directs authorities to take the monk into custody and produce him before the Colombo High Court.

Parliamentarian Namal Rajapaksa, who is currently being held in remand custody, was produced before the Fort Magistrate’s Court today (29) in connection with ongoing judicial proceedings related to the controversial ‘Krrish’ transaction.

Rajapaksa has been identified as the fourth suspect in a case instituted by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) before the Colombo Chief Magistrate’s Court.

The case concerns the ‘Krrish’ transaction, with Rajapaksa appearing before court today as part of the proceedings connected to the case.

He was brought to the Fort Magistrate’s Court from remand custody for the hearing, according to an Ada Derana reporter present at the proceedings.