Rajitha surrenders to CID

• Former Minister detained after Colombo HC quashes bail given by lower court earlier 
• Senaratne sent to Pallansena Isolation Centre, Negombo

Former Health Minister Rajitha Senaratne was yesterday arrested by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) when he surrendered following his bail being revoked by court and is remanded until 27 May after being presented to the Colombo Magistrate’s Court yesterday. 

Former Health Minister  Rajitha Senaratne

The former Minister was moved to the Pallansena Isolation Centre in Negombo, said the Commissioner General of Prisons.

The Colombo High Court quashed the bail order issued by the Colombo Chief Magistrate’s Court on former Health Minister Rajitha Senaratne and ordered the CID to arrest him.

However, at the time of going to press, the former Minister had not been arrested despite the CID visiting his home to take Senaratne into custody.  

Earlier yesterday morning Colombo High Court Judge Manjula Tillakaratne ruled that the Colombo Chief Magistrate’s Court order to grant bail to the former Minister was flawed and ordered to overturn the lower court’s order.

Senaratne was arrested and remanded in December last year over the controversial ‘white van’ media conference on 10 November ahead of the Presidential Elections. The Colombo Magistrate’s Court granted bail to the former Parliamentarian on 30 December.

The Attorney General filed a revision petition in the High Court seeking an annulment of the order issued by the Chief Magistrate of Colombo releasing former Minister Rajitha Senaratne on bail.

Announcing his decision, Judge Manjula Tillakaratne said the decision made by the Colombo Chief Magistrate to release Rajitha Senaratne on bail is legally and incidentally flawed.

The High Court Judge stated that the Chief Magistrate’s conclusion that there was no possibility for the suspect to escape the Judiciary after he was released on bail was erroneous.

High Court Judge Manjula Tillekeratne pointed out that prior to granting bail, the Chief Magistrate could have called the Chief Judicial Medical Officer of Colombo to submit a medical report on the health of the former Minister and not doing so was puzzling.

Judge Tillakaratne stated that overall, the Chief Magistrate’s failure to pay attention to the relevant incident and legal matters in issuing the bail order has caused a serious shock to the mind of the Court.

Accordingly, the High Court Judge ordered to void the bail order issued by the Chief Magistrate and the case be forwarded to the Colombo Chief Magistrate's Court for onward actions.