Rajitha and two others acquitted from ‘white van’ case

The Colombo High Court has acquitted former Minister Rajitha Senaratne and two others in the case related to the controversial ‘white van’ media conference held in 2019.

On September 12, 2022 former Minister Rajitha Senaratne and former State Pharmaceutical Corporation (SPC) chairman Rumy Mohamed had pleaded not guilty for the charges against them over the controversial “white van” press conference.

In the days leading up to the Presidential Election in 2019, former Health Minister Rajitha Senaratne had called two persons named Anthony Douglas Fernando and Athula Sanjeewa Madanayake for the said press conference, where they made controversial statements regarding alleged “white vans” and purported incidents of certain abductions, assassinations, robberies and forced disappearances during the administration of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

One of them had claimed that he was a “white van” driver involved in abducting people while the other claimed he once served as a driver to transport a stock of gold in previously LTTE-held areas.

The former Health Minister was arrested in December 2019 and was remanded over the controversial “white van” press conference organized by him, but he continued to receive medical treatment at the hospital.

On December 30, Colombo Magistrate’s Court ordered to release Senaratne on bail. However, the Attorney General had filed a revision application on January 08 challenging the decision of the Magistrate Court to grant bail to the former Health Minister.