(COLOMBO, LANKAPUVATH) –The Colombo Permanent High Court Trial-at-Bar today temporarily lifted the travel ban imposed on State Minister of Power and Energy Mahindananda Aluthgamage.
The Colombo Permanent High Court Trial-at-Bar bench comprising Justices R. Gurusinghe (President), Shashi Mahendran and Amal Ranaraja issued the order when the case against the Minister was heard today.
The Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) had filed indictments against the then Sports Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage and former Sathosa Chairman Nalin Fernando, for incurring a loss of a Rs.53.1 million to the state by importing sports equipment through Sathosa to distribute among sports associations during the 2015 Presidential Election.
President’s Counsel Nalin Ladduwahetti, appearing on behalf of Minister Aluthgamage stated that his client was required to travel to China from February 10 to 25 for official duty.
Accordingly, the President’s Counsel has requested that the travel ban imposed on his client be relaxed for the relevant period.
The three-member panel of judges has accepted the request and ordered the Controller of Immigration and Emigration to remove the travel ban imposed on Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage for the duration.
The bench also ordered the Bribery Commission to allow the defendants’ lawyers within 14 days to look into the computer systems that produced the documents presented as evidence in this case.
The three-judge bench also decided to postpone the hearing until March 11.
