By Newswire Editorial
The Colombo High Court today (05) ordered the freezing of four bank accounts and two luxury vehicles belonging to Attorney-at-Law Rakitha Rajapakshe, son of former Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe, for a period of three months.
According to reports, the order was issued after considering submissions made by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) regarding assets previously frozen by the Commission.
The Bribery Commission had earlier frozen four bank accounts containing approximately Rs. 40 million and two luxury vehicles belonging to Rakitha Rajapakshe as part of an ongoing investigation under the Proceeds of Crime Act.
The investigation is linked to allegations that Rajapakshe, Charith Abeysinghe and another individual obtained a bribe of Rs. 120 million from the wife of notorious drug trafficker Harak Kata.
The suspects are accused of accepting the money in exchange for arranging Harak Kata’s release from detention under the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and transferring him to a secure prison.
The three suspects were previously arrested by the Bribery Commission and remanded in custody before being released on bail by the Colombo Magistrate’s Court.
As the alleged Rs. 120 million bribe has not yet been recovered, the Bribery Commission subsequently launched an investigation into their assets under the Proceeds of Crime Act. (Newswire)