Former Minister Duminda Dissanayake, who had been arrested and remanded in connection with the recent discovery of a gold-plated T-56 firearm at an apartment complex in Havelock Town, Colombo, has been granted bail under strict bail conditions, Ada Derana reporter said.

The order was issued after he was produced before the Colombo High Court this morning (14).

Accordingly, Colombo High Court Judge Manjula Thilakaratne ordered the former minister to be released on a cash bail of Rs. 250,000, along with two surety bails of Rs. 5 million each.

The judge also ruled that the two individuals providing surety bails must be residents of the Colombo area. Additionally, the court imposed a travel ban on the suspect and directed that his passport be surrendered to the court.

Although the attorney representing the Attorney General strongly objected to the suspect being granted bail, the Colombo High Court Judge, in delivering the ruling, stated that since it has not yet been revealed that the suspect was in possession of a firearm, the court has decided to grant bail.

On May 23, former Minister Dissanayake was arrested in connection with an investigation led by the Terrorism Investigation Division (TID). He was subsequently remanded after being produced in court.

The investigation was launched over the ownership of a gold-plated T-56 assault rifle discovered at a prominent apartment complex in Havelock Town on May 20.

The gold-plated T-56 assault rifle was discovered inside a woman’s travel bag at the apartment complex.