The Colombo Magistrate’s Court has ordered the release on bail of Opposition Parliamentarian Namal Rajapaksa, who had been remanded in connection with the controversial Krrish deal.

During a previous Court hearing, attorneys representing Rajapaksa submitted a bail application seeking his release, citing the serious health conditions of both his parents as an exceptional ground for granting bail. 

However, the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) had raised objections to the bail application. After considering the submissions made by both the parties, Colombo Chief Magistrate Asanga S Bodaragama delivered the bail order yesterday.

Rajapaksa was arrested by the CIABOC on 4 September and subsequently produced before Court, which ordered his remand over allegations that he had accepted a bribe of Rs. 70 million to facilitate the allocation of a plot of land at Transworks Square in Colombo to the Indian company Krrish for a multi-purpose development project.

However, Rajapaksa will remain in remand custody in connection with a separate case related to the Airbus bribery scandal.