An indictment has been filed against former Central Bank Governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal for violating the conditions imposed in connection with the Greek bond case, NewsFirst reported on Tuesday (19).
The charges were presented before a Permanent High Court Trial-at-Bar appointed by the Chief Justice to hear the matter. The three-member bench comprises Justices Manoj Thalgodapitiya, Udesh Ranatunga and Buddhika Sri Ragala — the same bench named when the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption refiled fresh indictments earlier this month.
The legal action follows Cabraal’s failure to pay more than Rs. 1.84 billion he was ordered to reimburse under his conditional release. The Colombo High Court on December 10 last year directed his conditional release, requiring him to credit the Central Bank with the full sum within three months. That deadline expired on March 10, 2026 with no payment made.
CIABOC had launched the inquiry into the purchase of Greek government bonds during Greece’s severe economic crisis. It is alleged that the transaction, executed despite awareness of the crisis, caused a loss exceeding Rs. 1.84 billion to the government.
Charges were initially filed against four individuals: Cabraal, former Deputy Governor Dharmasena Dheerasinghe, and Assistant Governors Don Wasantha Ananda Silva and M.A. Karunaratne. The other three were released unconditionally; Cabraal alone faced the conditional terms.
The Bribery Commission had earlier requested the appointment of the Permanent High Court Trial-at-Bar specifically to hear the case. The Tuesday filing is the formal presentation of charges for the breach of those release conditions, marking a new accountability milestone in the long-running Greek bond docket.
