Colombo Chief Magistrate Gihan Pilapitiya yesterday granted permission to Avant Garde Maritime Security Services Chairman Nissanka Senadhipathy to travel abroad for medical treatment for a period of one year.
The passport of the Avant Garde Chairman was earlier impounded by the Colombo Chief Magistrate in the case against him being heard at the Colombo Chief Magistrate's Court.
Senadhipathy stands indicted for allegedly causing a loss of Rs 11,400 million to the State as well as soliciting a Rs 35.5 million bribe for the maintenance of an illegal floating armoury off the Southern Port of Hambantota.
He is one of the prime suspects in the case filed against him by the Bribery Commission.
The Bribery Commission making submissions to Court yesterday opposed moves to get Court permission for the suspect leave the country for a 12-month period, considering the severity of the charges he faces in Court. However, notwithstanding objections raised by the Bribery Commission, Colombo Chief Magistrate Pilapitiya granted approval for the suspect to seek medical treatment in Singapore and Germany for a period of one year.
The suspect was ordered to provide three surety bonds of Rs 5 million each.The Colombo Chief Magistrate also ordered that the guarantors of bail should be the suspect's wife, the suspect's brother and a brother of the suspect's wife respectively.
