The Colombo High Court has ordered that a psychiatric medical report be obtained to determine whether Daisy Forrest, the grandmother of Yoshitha Rajapaksa, is in a suitable mental condition to appear for court proceedings.

The Attorney General had filed a case against Yoshitha Rajapaksa and Daisy Forrest under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, alleging that they had illegally acquired properties and assets worth approximately Rs. 73 million.

The case was taken up before Colombo High Court Judge Udesh Ranatunga, and both Yoshitha Rajapaksa and Daisy Forrest—who are out on bail—were present in court.

At a previous hearing, the President’s Counsel appearing for Daisy Forrest informed court that she is 98 years old and suffering from dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, making her mentally unfit to present her defense. It was also reported that a medical report regarding her condition had been submitted to the Gangodawila Magistrate’s Court in 2017.

Accordingly, the counsel had previously requested court to remove her from the case, stating that she is not in a condition to stand trial.

The case was taken up yesterday (26) to hear the Attorney General’s response to this request.

Deputy Solicitor General Janaka Bandara, appearing for the Attorney General, stated that in order to consider the request made by the defense, it is necessary to have Daisy Forrest examined by a specialist psychiatrist through the Colombo Judicial Medical Officer and obtain a psychiatric report.

After considering the submissions, the High Court Judge ordered that a psychiatric medical report be obtained to determine whether Daisy Forrest is currently in a suitable mental condition to appear before court.