May 14, Colombo (LNW): Yoshitha Rajapaksa, the son of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, pleaded not guilty before the Colombo High Court today as proceedings commenced in a case filed under Sri Lanka’s Prevention of Money Laundering laws.
The trial moved forward after High Court Judge Udesh Ranatunga dismissed a preliminary objection submitted by the defence team, which had challenged the legal validity of the conspiracy-related charges included in the indictment.
Delivering his ruling, the judge stated that the arguments raised by the defence lacked sufficient legal grounds to halt the proceedings, thereby allowing the prosecution to continue with the case.
Following the decision, the formal indictment was read aloud in court in the presence of the accused and legal representatives. Rajapaksa subsequently informed the court that he rejected all allegations levelled against him and would contest the charges during trial.