Namal's Hello Corp inquiry: AG's opinion on filing indictments in High Court fixed for Feb 9

By Shehan Chamika Silva 

The FCID today told court that it had sent the extracts of the two Money Laundering cases filed against MP Namal Rajapaksa and five others to the Attorney General to seek his opinion on filing indictments against the suspects in High Court over the alleged transactions.

The Additional Magistrate Nishantha Peiris subsequently fixed February 9 for Attorney General's opinion on the two cases.

The FCID also sought court to impose Open Warrants on two suspects, Indika Karunajeewa and Iresha Silva, who are currently resides abroad absconding the court and the prosecution.

The Magistrate directed the FCID to make the request with an affidavit later to consider on imposing such warrant.

Other suspects, Pavithra Sujani Bogollagama, Nithya Senani Samaranayake, Sudarsha Bandara Ganegoda and Namal Rajapaksa were yesterday present in Court and released on the previous bail conditions.

Earlier, the suspects were arrested by the FCID over the main magisterial inuiry conducted under the Money Laundering Act for purchasing Rs. 100million worth shares of a company called Hello Corp from ill-gotten funds by the Gowers Corporation which is headed by Mr. Rajapaksa.

Later the prosecution filed two separate cases against six suspects following the conclusion of the investigations into the two alleged transactions.

According to the FCID, the suspect, Namal Rajapaksa had dealt with a company called 'Boston Capital' and had given Rs. 15 million by him self and another Rs. 30 million through one Indika Karunajeewa to the chairman of that company, Mr. Rohan Abey Iriyagolla, in order to conceal the origin of the alleged ill gotten funds.

The prosecution alleged that according to the statements got from the chairman of the Boston company, the given money was paid to the Gowers Corporation and NR consultance Companies again, which are headed by Namal Rajapaksa, under the disguise of payments for the services obtained by the Boston Company.

The two transactions were found by the prosecution as offences that fell under the Money Laundering Act.