Sanjaya Samarasinghe, the personal secretary to Member of Parliament Namal Rajapaksa who was arrested by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) has been granted bail.
The order was issued by the Colombo Chief Magistrate’s Court.
Court ordered Samarasinghe to be released on two surety bails amounting to Rs. 1 million each and imposed a travel ban preventing him from leaving the country. The case has then been fixed for further proceedings on December 18.
Samarasinghe was arrested following an investigation into cash and other valuables recovered from a safe at his residence on Templers Road, Mount Lavinia.
According to submissions made by CIABOC investigating officers before the court, officers searched the residence on October 16 in an operation that lasted approximately four hours in the night.
During the search, investigators discovered a safe inside a cupboard. After Samarasinghe reportedly stated that he could not recall the security code, technical personnel from the safe’s manufacturer were summoned to open it.
Investigators told the court that the safe contained Rs. 1,805,000 in cash, a Cartier wristwatch valued at approximately Rs. 800,000 and eight anklets believed to be gold-plated.
According to the Commission, Samarasinghe stated that Rs. 1.5 million of the cash belonged to him, while the balance belonged to his parents. He reportedly claimed that his share of the money had been obtained through the sale of a vehicle approximately one and a half years earlier.
CIABOC officers informed the court that Samarasinghe was arrested after discrepancies were identified between statements he had provided during the investigation.
The Commission sought an order remanding the suspect in custody under Section 72(1) of the Proceeds of Crime Act No. 5 of 2025, citing the ongoing investigation.
However, President’s Counsel Sampath Mendis, appearing on behalf of Samarasinghe, opposed the request and sought bail.
The defence submitted that the money had been obtained through a vehicle sale and that documents relating to the transaction had been produced before the court. Counsel further maintained that the funds had been declared in his client’s statement of assets and liabilities and that a portion of the money belonged to his client’s father.
The defence also submitted that the search of the residence had not uncovered illegal drugs or firearms.
Having considered the submissions made by both parties, the Magistrate ordered Samarasinghe’s release on bail.
The matter is now scheduled to be taken up again on December 18.
