October 13, Colombo (LNW): The Colombo Chief Magistrate’s Court has directed prison authorities to urgently verify the medical condition of former First Lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa after her lawyers informed the court that she was due to undergo open-heart surgery at the National Hospital of Sri Lanka.
The case, filed by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) over alleged financial irregularities involving the ‘Siriliya Saviya’ account, was taken up before the court today (13). Rajapaksa was not present for the proceedings.
President’s Counsel Anil Silva, appearing on her behalf, told the court that his client had reportedly suffered a sudden heart attack yesterday (12) while in prison custody. He said she had subsequently been admitted to the Cardiology Unit of the National Hospital in Colombo and was scheduled to undergo open-heart surgery today.
However, Additional Solicitor General Dileepa Peiris, representing the prosecution, informed the court that prison authorities had received no information confirming that Rajapaksa was due to undergo heart surgery, although they were aware of her hospital admission.
In response, the Chief Magistrate instructed prison officials to establish the facts immediately and submit a report on her medical condition and the proposed surgery.
The Magistrate also noted that the report already submitted by prison authorities merely confirmed Rajapaksa’s admission to Ward 61 of the National Hospital. It did not provide details of her condition or indicate whether an operation had been scheduled.
The court subsequently ordered the relevant authorities to furnish the necessary medical information. Proceedings were adjourned until 2.00 pm today pending receipt of the report.
Rajapaksa’s legal team reiterated that she was under treatment at the hospital, while the court sought official confirmation of the medical details before proceeding further.
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