The Colombo Permanent High Court Trial-at-Bar has ordered that the high-profile case against former Central Bank Governor Arjuna Mahendran and several co-accused regarding the Central Bank bond transaction be called on January 28, 2027, for a pre-trial conference.
The matter was taken up before a three-judge bench presided over by Judge Priyantha Liyanage. During the session, several defendants including Perpetual Treasuries Limited (PTL) directors Arjun Aloysius, Geoffrey Aloysius and Kasun Palisena, alongside former Central Bank Deputy Governor P. Samarasiri, Muthuraja Surendran, Chitta Ranjan Hulugalle and P. Gunawardena made their appearances in court.
Meanwhile, the court continues to proceed with the trial in the absence of two defendants, former Governor Arjuna Mahendran and Ajahn Punchihewa.
Addressing submissions from defense attorneys regarding missing case documents, the three-judge bench directed Senior State Counsel Oswald Perera, representing the Attorney General, to ensure the outstanding documents are handed over to the defense prior to the next court date.
The Attorney General has brought indictments against the defendants under the Offences Against Public Property Act, holding them accountable for an alleged loss of Rs. 688 million inflicted on the government during the contentious Central Bank bond auction on February 27, 2015. (Newswire)
