Almanac case: Colombo HC acquits and discharges BR et al

By A.J.A. Abeynayake

Colombo High Court yesterday acquitted and released Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa and former Director General of the Divineguma Development Department Kithsiri Ranawaka from the 2015 almanacs distribution case; they were accused of misappropriating public funds to the tune of Rs. 29.4 million.

Announcing the verdict, Colombo High Court Judge Damith Thotawatte said that the evidence presented by the prosecution in the case had failed to prove the allegations against the accused.

The judge said: “According to the testimony of Dilan Kaluarachchi of the Divineguma Department who testified in this case, the printing the almanacs took place in 2011. The witness stated that since the inception of the Divineguma Department, it had been carried out in accordance with the objectives of the department. The witness stated that the printing of the almanacs for the year 2015, which is the basis of this case, had taken place in the latter half of 2014 according to the same process.”

The judge said that the prosecution had failed to prove beyond reasonable doubt that there had been an abuse or a violation of the provisions of the Presidential Election Act through the process of printing and distributing the almanacs.

Accordingly, the defendants were acquitted and released without calling for a defence statement, the judge concluded.

The judge also ordered that if there was any travel ban imposed on the accused by his court, steps should be taken to lift it and release the bail money deposited by the accused with the court.

The Attorney General had filed indictments against Basil Rajapaksa and former Divi Neguma Department Director General Kithsiri Ranawaka in the Colombo High Court for having printed five million almanacs with the image of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa thereon at a cost of Rs. 29.4 million by utilising funds belonging to the Divi Neguma Department, to be used as election propaganda material ahead of the January 2015 presidential election.