Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa and businessman Thirukumar Nadesan have been ordered to appear before the Gampaha High Court on the 25th of March 2022.
The order had been issued by the Gampaha High Court Judge Nimal Ranaweera when the case filed against the duo over allegedly misusing public funds to purchase land in Malwana and operating a farm on the said land was taken up for hearing on 11th March 2022.
A witness to the case has revealed that he had been threatened by officers of the Financial Crimes Investigations Division (FCID) to claim that the Malwana mansion belonged to Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa.
He told the court that he had been employed as an office assistant to the Economic Development Ministry in 2011 on a temporary basis.
The witness said that during this period he had worked at the Malwana mansion during his off days on a request made by Chartered Architect Muditha Jayakody who was in charge of maintenance of the mansion.
Stating that he had been questioned by officials from the FCID in this regard, he said that he had been interrogated on a higher floor of the office.
The witness said that the officers had forced him to claim that the Malwana mansion belonged to Minister Basil Rajapaksa and had threatened to throw him out of the window and close the case as suicide if he does not agree to do so.
He further said that out of fear he had signed the statement written by the officials, adding that he was not aware of what was written on the statement paper.
Concluding the consideration of witness statements, the Gampaha High Court has fixed the next hearing for 25th March 2022.
The Court has also issued notice for Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa and businessman Thirukumar Nadesan to appear in court on the said date. (NewsWire)