A written complaint has been lodged with the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption against three Supreme Court judges, alleging that their conduct led to the loss of nearly US$999 million in compensation owed by the X-Press Pearl shipping company and its local representatives.

Dr Chamal Sanjeewa, president of the Medical and Civil Rights Doctors’ Association, submitted the complaint to CIABOC’s Director General on Monday and asked for an independent investigation into the judges’ handling of the compensation case, the Daily Mirror reported on Tuesday.

The allegations have not been independently established, and the judges have not been found guilty of any wrongdoing. The Daily Mirror did not name them.

What the complaint alleges

According to the complaint, a five-judge Supreme Court bench headed by the Chief Justice delivered judgments in cases SC/FR/168/2021, SC/FR/176/2021, SC/FR/184/2021 and SC/FR/277/2021, ordering the shipping company and its representatives to pay US$250 million by 24 September 2025.

Only US$1 million was paid, the complaint states, leaving about US$249 million of that order outstanding. It alleges that although the petitioners sought contempt of court proceedings over the non-compliance, the three judges took no such action against the company.

The complaint further alleges that Justice Yasantha Kodagoda — described as the senior-most judge of the earlier bench and involved in preparing the judgment — was removed from the case without valid legal reason. The matter was then heard on 26 January 2026 before a three-member bench comprising the judges named in the complaint, which Dr Sanjeewa says ordered the termination of proceedings contrary to established judicial practice.

That order, he claims, prevented the recovery of roughly US$999 million and disrupted the work of the Compensation Management Commission the court had appointed. A letter dated 6 March 2026 reportedly told the petitioners the commission could no longer continue its work as a result.

Dr Sanjeewa has asked CIABOC to investigate under the Anti-Corruption Act No. 9 of 2023, alleging the conduct could amount to corruption through the misuse of public office under Section 111 of the Act. He requested an independent and credible investigation, legal action if wrongdoing is established, and notification of the investigation’s progress under Section 44.

The same complainant went public a week ago

This is the second time in a week that Dr Sanjeewa has raised the X-Press Pearl compensation with the Bribery Commission. On 26 August he called on CIABOC to investigate allegations concerning the Chief Justice, speaking on behalf of the National Trade Union and Civil Front, and raised claims about delays in recovering the disaster compensation alongside claims about the accumulation of assets.

That report left open whether a formal written complaint had been lodged or the call had been made publicly only. Tuesday’s report answers it: a written complaint has now been filed — though its target is narrower, naming three judges of the later three-member bench rather than the Chief Justice.

The complaint also questions whether the loss of the compensation is connected to the implementation of the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution. Dr Sanjeewa has separately filed a Supreme Court petition challenging the amendment, which is among the record 67 petitions the court began hearing on Tuesday.

The Daily Mirror did not set out the reasoning connecting the two matters, and reported no response from CIABOC, the Judicial Service Commission or the judges concerned. No other verified Sri Lankan newsroom had published its own report of the complaint at the time of writing.

Sources