Sri Lanka Court Rejects Warrants for Indian Directors — SkimNews
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- Colombo Chief Magistrate refused on October 2, 2026 to issue arrest warrants for Krish Hotels directors Amit Katyal and Rajendra Prasad Gupta, citing lack of evidence and ordering CIABOC to file a report covering the evidence for issuance.
- CIABOC prosecutors had sought the arrest of the two Indian directors in connection with the alleged bribery case tied to a stalled Indian hotel investment project.
- Opposition leader Namal Rajapaksa, age 40 and the elder son of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, is in remand on allegations he accepted a 70 million Sri Lankan rupee bribe in 2013 in connection with the stalled hotel project.
- Janaki Siriwardena, the local agent for the Krish Hotels project, allegedly bribed Rajapaksa on several occasions to secure key approvals; prosecutors say Rajapaksa used his political weight under his father's presidency to fast-track them.
- Rajapaksa, an international rugby player, claims the money was sponsorship for a 2014 international rugby event held in Colombo.
- Rajapaksa has been in remand since September 4, 2026 in a separate $2 million bribery case, and faces an additional remand order in a separate money laundering case.
Why it matters: The magistrate's rejection underscores that CIABOC has yet to assemble sufficient evidence against the Indian directors, even as Rajapaksa himself remains detained on three separate corruption-related matters — including 70 million rupees tied to this case and $2 million in a separate bribery proceeding — meaning prosecutors are tightening the net around the political figure while struggling to extend it to the foreign business side.
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