Former Central Bank Governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal and 3 others were acquitted of the case on the 2012 purchase of Greek Bonds by the Colombo High Court, after the Bribery Commission (CIABOC) withdrew the charges.
It is reported that Colombo High Court Judge Mohamed Mihail today (10) ordered that former Central Bank Governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal and the four accused in that case be acquitted and released, since the Bribery Commission itself had requested to withdraw the indictment filed against the accused.
The Bribery Commission has filed this case under charges of knowingly purchasing treasury bills issued by the Greek government in 2011, when Greece was facing a severe economic crisis, thereby causing a loss of more than Rs. 18.4 billion to the state.
Although the Supreme Court had issued an order stating that the said bond transaction had been carried out legally in compliance with Central Bank regulations and financial reporting regulations, the Bribery Commission had nevertheless filed this case for a second time, which was unjustified, according to written submissions made by President’s Counsel Dilan Ratnayake and Nalin Laddu Hettiarachchi.
Accordingly, since the Bribery Commission withdrew the indictment filed against the four accused in relation to the incident, the High Court ordered that those accused be acquitted and released. (Newswire)