By Bhagya Silva
Colombo, Oct. 15 (Daily Mirror) - The Colombo High Court was informed today that Yoshitha Rajapaksa had received a total of Rs. 5,150,626 in salaries and allowances during his 10 years of service in the Sri Lanka Navy.
The evidence was presented when the trial of a money laundering case filed against Yoshitha Rajapaksa, the son of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, was taken up before Colombo High Court Judge Udesh Ranatunga.
Testifying under the questioning of Senior State Counsel Oswald Perera, Navy officer Dhammika Priyadarshana Wickramaarachchi stated that Yoshitha Rajapaksa had received a monthly salary of Rs. 16,390 while serving as a Navy officer.
The witness said Yoshitha Kanishka Rajapaksa had served as a Lieutenant in the Navy from February 14, 2006, to February 28, 2016, when his service was terminated. His monthly salary, including allowances, was Rs. 16,500 before a deduction of Rs. 110.
The witness further testified that former Navy Commander Wasantha Karannagoda had sent a letter to the Defence Minister on May 18, 2004, requesting financial assistance for Yoshitha Rajapaksa to attend a young officers’ training programme in the United Kingdom.
According to the witness, the letter sought £4,174.80 for food and accommodation and Rs. 20,362 as course fees.
Another Navy officer, Nuwan Thushara, testified that Yoshitha Rajapaksa had received a total of Rs. 5,150,626 in salaries and allowances from February 14, 2006, to February 28, 2016.
The witness explained that the gross salary of Navy officers comprised their basic salary and allowances.
Meanwhile, Navy officer Devinda Udayakumara testified that Yoshitha Rajapaksa had submitted declarations of assets and liabilities to the Navy for the period from March 31, 2009, to March 31, 2015.
A junior executive officer of the National Savings Bank, Kanishka Gamini, also testified regarding two bank accounts maintained by Yoshitha Rajapaksa at the bank.
The witness stated that Yoshitha Rajapaksa had opened a fixed deposit account on November 10, 2003, with an initial deposit of Rs. 72,470.03. The balance in the account, including interest, had subsequently increased to Rs. 489,411.70.
At this stage, President’s Counsel Sampath Mendis, appearing for the accused, raised an objection, arguing that the document presented to the witness by the prosecution had neither been examined during the investigation nor submitted to court with the indictment. He objected to the prosecution’s attempt to mark the document as evidence.
During further testimony, the bank officer stated that no withdrawals had been made from Yoshitha Rajapaksa’s savings account until 2016, although several deposits had been credited to it from January 2007 onwards. The first withdrawal from the account was made on March 2, 2016, according to the witness.
Subsequently, Senarath Bandara, a court clerk appearing on behalf of the Registrar of the Nugegoda District Court, testified regarding a case involving property said to belong to Daisy Forrest.
The witness stated that an order had been issued on March 15, 2017, by then Nugegoda District Judge Sahan Mapa in relation to the management of Daisy Forrest’s estate. The order had named the third defendant in that case as the administrator of the estate and the second defendant as her guardian due to her alleged medical conditions, including dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
However, the witness said the case record did not contain a note indicating that the court had been satisfied regarding Daisy Forrest’s medical condition. He further stated that the record and the order contained no inventory of her movable or immovable property or financial assets.
Businessman Mervyn Amarawera also testified regarding the release from Customs of an OB truck imported for the CSN television channel.
He told court that he had assisted in securing the release of the truck at the request of Rohan Weliwita, whom he knew through business dealings.
The witness said he had referred the matter to a person who could facilitate the process and had subsequently handed over the necessary documents to an officer at Customs. He testified that he did not know the exact nature or value of the imported goods and was unaware of any connection between Rohan Weliwita and CSN. He added that he himself had no connection with the television channel.
After hearing the evidence, the High Court Judge fixed October 30 for the further trial and directed the remaining prosecution witnesses to appear in court on that date.
The Attorney General has filed the case against Yoshitha Rajapaksa under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, alleging that an offence was committed through the purchase of five plots of land in Dehiwala and Ratmalana valued at more than Rs. 730 million.