Court to hear ex-Minister Lohan Ratwatte’s bail petition on Nov 19
By: Isuru Parakrama
November 11, Colombo (LNW): The Court of Appeal has scheduled a hearing for the petition filed by former State Minister Lohan Ratwatte, requesting bail, for November 19, 2024.
The petition was presented this morning before a two-judge bench, consisting of President of the Court of Appeal, Nissanka Bandula Karunaratne, and Justice Shashi Mahendran.
During the hearing, the bench ordered that notices be issued to the relevant parties, including the Inspector General of Police (IGP), requiring them to present their responses to the petition on the scheduled date.
Ratwatte, along with his wife, is currently in remand custody following their arrest in connection with the unlawful possession of a luxury car. The vehicle in question had been illegally imported and assembled in Sri Lanka.
Both individuals are facing charges related to the car, which was discovered during a police inspection of a three-storey residence in the Embuldeniya area of Mirihana, owned by Shashi Prabha Ratwatte, the wife of the ex-minister.
The car, which lacked number plates, came to the attention of authorities following a tip-off received by the police headquarters.
Upon investigation, both Ratwatte and his wife stated that the property belonged to Ratwatte’s mother-in-law.
They further explained that the car had been brought to the house three weeks prior by Ratwatte’s private secretary, who was recently found dead under suspicious circumstances in the Katugastota area of Kandy, having sustained gunshot wounds.
Ratwatte and his wife have been remanded in custody by the Nugegoda Magistrate’s Court until November 18.
