Supreme Court orders continuation of Bond Scam case proceedings
The Supreme Court of Sri Lanka has ruled that the order issued by the High Court panel of three judges, which discharged the accused in the Central Bank bond scam case without hearing the matter, was incorrect.
The Court further directed that the case filed under the Public Property Act against former Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake, former Central Bank Governor Arjuna Mahendran, and others must proceed without delay and be taken up for a full hearing.
The case relates to allegations of misuse of state funds during the issuance of Treasury bonds by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka in March 2016. The accused include Perpetual Treasuries Ltd, former Governor Arjuna Mahendran, former Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake, and several other parties.
The judgment was delivered after considering an appeal filed by the Attorney General challenging the High Court’s decision to discharge the defendants.
The bench comprised Chief Justice Priti Padman Surasena and Justices Shiran Goonaratne, Asala Wenkappuli, and Arjuna Obeyesekere, with the ruling delivered by Justice Mahinda Samayawardhena.
Following this ruling, the Supreme Court stated that the charges under the Public Property Act can now proceed to trial, and instructed that the case be expedited.
