COLOMBO: Namal Rajapaksa, the eldest son of former president and prime minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, was on Tuesday indicted and released on bail by the high court of Colombo for an alleged misappropriation out of an Indian investment prior to 2015. Leader of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP), Namal Rajapaksa is the only member of the Rajapaksa family now a serving member of parliament.
The Rajapaksas say they are being targeted on a political witch hunt.
The case is to be next heard on March 27.
Namal Rajapaksa was arrested in June 2016 for allegedly misusing Sri Lankan Rupees 70 million from the Krrish Hotel project to develop the game of rugby in the island nation. He had been a Sri Lanka international rugby player.
The Krish hotel project, located in the heart of Colombo’s commercial district, was aborted and the construction remains unfinished.
Namal Rajapaksa was quizzed by the police after the new NPP government revived the Krish case – stalled since 2016.
A week later, his younger brother Yoshitha was arrested after a similar questionable property case was revived.
Yoshitha Rajapaksa is also facing indictment over the case.
The NPP government says they would revive all stalled cases to deliver justice, prompting the Rajapaksas to claim it as a political witch hunt.