Court reissues arrest warrant for former minister Basil Rajapaksa

The Matara Chief Magistrate’s Court has reissued a warrant for the arrest of former minister Basil Rajapaksa after he failed to appear in an ongoing case concerning the purchase of land in Matara.

Chief Magistrate Chathuranga Eranga Dissanayake issued the warrant when the case was taken up on Tuesday (21).

The case, filed by the Police Financial Crimes Investigation Division, concerns the purchase of a one-and-a-half-acre property at Browns Hill on Eliyakanda Road in Matara.

Investigators allege that the property was purchased using money obtained through unlawful means.

The court had previously issued a warrant against Rajapaksa on 22 May after he failed to appear. After hearing submissions that he had continued to avoid court appearances, the magistrate ordered police to arrest him and produce him before court.

The case names Rajapaksa, Ayoma Galappaththi, Tissa Galappaththi and Muditha Jayakody as accused. Ayoma Galappaththi is the sister of Rajapaksa’s wife.

Rajapaksa, the third accused, and Ayoma Galappaththi, the fourth accused, were absent when the case was called, although their bail sureties appeared before court.

As the sureties failed to produce the accused, the magistrate ordered them to explain why the bail amounts should not be forfeited to the State.

The sureties requested time to make written submissions, and the court fixed the case for 18 August.

A foreign travel ban imposed on Rajapaksa remains in force.