Former Sports Minister Namal Rajapaksa and five others on Monday made an application to the High Court, seeking acquittal from a Money Laundering case.

The defence submitted an application before High Court Judge Nawaratne Marasinghe under Section 200 (1) of the Code of Criminal Procedure. They request the Court to record a verdict of acquittal on behalf of the accused, citing that the prosecution’s evidence has entirely failed to establish the commission of the offence charged against them in the indictment. The case has been scheduled for the defence’s submissions on 13 September. 

The Attorney General has filed indictments against the six accused for their alleged involvement in laundering Rs. 30 million through Gowers Corporate Services Ltd. 

Accordingly Namal Rajapaksa, Indika Karunajeewa, Sujani Bogollagama, Iresha Silva, Nithya Senani Samaranayake, and Gowers Corporate Services Ltd. face 11 counts under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, linked to money laundering activities within the company (Gowers Corporate Services Ltd. owned by Namal Rajapaksa between 2013 and 2014. Additionally, the High Court has allowed the prosecution to proceed with the trial in the absence of the second and sixth accused in the case, following Section 241 of the Criminal Procedure Code. 

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