June 03, Colombo (LNW): The Colombo Magistrate’s Court has granted bail to former cabinet minister Keheliya Rambukwella and his son, Ramith Rambukwella, who are currently under investigation for alleged abuse of public funds.
The decision was made by Colombo Chief Magistrate Thanuja Lakmali following detailed submissions presented by both the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption and the defence.
The court ruled that both individuals be released on a cash bail of Rs. 50,000 each, in addition to two surety bails amounting to Rs. 1 million per suspect. As part of the bail conditions, a travel ban has been imposed on both the former minister and his son, barring them from leaving the country while the legal proceedings are ongoing.
The corruption case centres on allegations that Keheliya Rambukwella, during his time as a government minister, orchestrated the appointment of fifteen individuals to his personal staff without proper authorisation.
These appointments, according to the complaint lodged by the Bribery Commission, resulted in a financial loss exceeding Rs. 8 million to the state, through the illicit collection of salaries, allowances, and overtime payments made to these personnel.
Rambukwella was initially detained on May 07, whilst his son, a former national cricketer, was arrested two weeks later after voluntarily appearing before the anti-corruption authorities to provide a statement.
The case is now set to resume on October 10, when the court will review the progress of the investigation.
