Constitutional law academic Prof. Prathibha Mahanamahewa has called for an examination of how the Colombo Magistrate’s Court registry executed the bail bond that released former SriLankan Airlines CEO Kapila Chandrasena, alleging a “major defect” in the procedure that allowed two unrelated paid sureties through.
Mahanamahewa told The Island that where any doubt arose over a bail condition, an insufficient surety, identity issues, suspicious documents or an unclear order, the Registrar was required to consult the relevant Magistrate before executing the bond. Had the time-tested procedure been followed, court registry staff would never have accepted as sureties two individuals presenting themselves as blood relatives of Chandrasena, he said.
Colombo Chief Magistrate Asanga S. Bodharagama granted Chandrasena bail on May 5 on a Rs. 500,000 cash bail and three surety bails of Rs. 10 million each. Within days, police established that two of the three sureties had been paid Rs. 15,000 each to stand as guarantors despite never having met the former CEO. Both were arrested and remanded by the Colombo Magistrate’s Court until 13 May. Police also arrested an elderly individual who had arranged the two paid sureties, while the Colombo CCIB later detained a 74-year-old broker accused of running similar operations.
The bail application had been submitted on 28 April by Rienzie Arsecularatne, PC. Mahanamahewa said the defence team’s failure to verify guarantors’ relationships with Chandrasena was a separate “glaring shortcoming.” The Bar Association of Sri Lanka did not respond to The Island’s request for comment.
Once the police disclosed the fraudulent guarantor arrangements, Magistrate Bodharagama issued an order to arrest Chandrasena and revoked his bail on a CIABOC application, before he was found dead at a Colpetty residence on May 8.
Sources: The Island — Ex-SriLankan CEO’s death: Controversy surrounds execution of bail bond.
