The Colombo High Court has acquitted former Minister Rajitha Senaratne and two others over the controversial ‘white van’ press conference held in 2019.
This media briefing, organized by Senaratne in the lead-up to the 2019 Presidential Election, featuring two persons claimed of alleged abductions, assassinations, robberies, and enforced disappearances said to have occurred during the tenure of then-President and current Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa.
Following the event, Mr. Senaratne was arrested in December 2019 and remanded for his role in organizing the briefing, though he remained under medical care in hospital.
On December 30, the Colombo Magistrate’s Court granted Mr. Senaratne bail. However, the Attorney General filed a revision application on January 8 challenging this decision.
The Cabinet of Ministers has granted approval to permit the Sri Lanka Thriposha Limited Company to import 18,000 Metric Tonnes of maize.
Accordingly, the Thriposha Limited Company is to import the maize for ‘Thriposha’ production, a nutritional supplement given to children and pregnant women and lactating mothers.
According to Cabinet Spokesman – Minister Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa, lack of maize in the required quality in the local market is the reason behind the decision to import a large quantity of maize.
President Anura Kumara Disanayake held discussions with the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence of Australia Richard Marles at the Presidential Secretariat this morning (June 03).
The meeting focused on further strengthening the historic ties between Sri Lanka and Australia, with a particular emphasis on enhancing bilateral cooperation.
President Disanayake highlighted Sri Lanka’s progress towards economic stability and briefed Deputy Prime Minister Marles on the government’s ongoing efforts to combat corruption and fraud. He also expressed appreciation for the Australian Government’s support in recent maritime security operations and its assistance in addressing illegal trade, human trafficking, terrorism and arms smuggling. The President further reaffirmed that Sri Lanka remains a secure destination for tourism and investment.
Deputy Prime Minister Marles, reflecting on the 70-year economic and political relationship between the two countries, conveyed Australia’s commitment to working closely with Sri Lanka’s new administration.
He praised the government’s anti-corruption initiatives and emphasized that enhancing trade, economic, political, tourism and investment relations was a central objective of his visit.
The Australian delegation included Mr Paul Stephens, Australian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka; Mr Gregory Laurence Moriarty, Secretary of the Department of Defence; Mr Simon Eric O’Connor, Senior Adviser to the Deputy Prime Minister; and Ms Lalita Kapur, Australian Deputy High Commissioner to Sri Lanka. Representing Sri Lanka were Dr Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, Secretary to the President and Mr Roshan Gamage, Additional Secretary to the President.
A private medical laboratory in Malwana has been fined Rs. 500,000 by the Mahara Magistrate’s Court for charging more than the approved rate for a Full Blood Count (FBC) test.
The fine was issued after the lab admitted to overcharging a patient, in violation of Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) regulations. According to
The gazetted maximum charge for an FBC test is Rs. 400. The case is part of ongoing enforcement efforts targeting pricing violations in the healthcare sector. (Newswire)