Rajitha Senaratne
Former Cabinet Minister and former Member of Parliament · Democratic National Movement (DNM)
2
Legal matters
0
Investigations
2
Charges pending
0
Acquitted / dismissed
Rajitha Senaratne has been indicted.
Alleged corruption involving removal/sale of sand from the Kirinda Fisheries Harbour development, with investigators alleging a government loss exceeding approximately Rs. 26.2 million.
The full running account, event by event, is in the Timeline and Court Cases tabs below.
Rajitha Senaratne legal timeline
- 17 November 2026Modara Fisheries Harbour bribery case
Next Hearing
Further hearing fixed for 17 November 2026 before Colombo High Court Judge Mohamed Mihail, after prosecution witnesses gave evidence and were cross-examined on 14 September.
Court: Colombo High Court
Sources (1)
- 14 September 2026Modara Fisheries Harbour bribery case
Hearing
The Colombo High Court, with Judge Mohamed Mihail presiding, recorded evidence from prosecution witnesses, who were then cross-examined by the defence. Further hearing fixed for 17 November 2026.
Court: Colombo High Court
Sources (1)
- 3 September 2026Kirinda Fisheries Harbour sand removal c…
Hearing
Five Section 70 Bribery Act charges were served in the Colombo High Court (Judge Mohamed Mihail); the prosecution listed 13 witnesses and 25 productions. Bail continued on two personal bonds of Rs. 1 million each, the passport was ordered surrendered, and the case was referred to a pre-trial conference (no date reported).
Court: Colombo High Court
Sources (1)
- 11 August 2026Kirinda Fisheries Harbour sand removal c…
Indicted
Indictments were filed in the Colombo High Court on 11 Aug 2026.
Court: Colombo High Court
- 9 September 2025Kirinda Fisheries Harbour sand removal c…
Bail Granted
Indictments were filed in the Colombo High Court on 11 Aug 2026. On 3 Sep 2026 five Section 70 corruption charges were served; reporting listed 13 witnesses and 25 documents, bail continued, and passport surrender was ordered.
Court: Colombo High Court
- 29 August 2025Kirinda Fisheries Harbour sand removal c…
Remanded
Former Fisheries Minister Rajitha Senaratne was produced before the Colombo High Court in a separate case, and was then ordered remanded until 9 September 2025 by Colombo Chief Magistrate Asanga S. Bodaragama, following an earlier arrest warrant in this matter. The Bribery Commission alleges a loss of more than Rs. 20 million to the Government over the award of a sand mining project at the Kirinda Fisheries Harbour to a Korean company; the allegations are untested.
Court: Colombo Magistrate's Court
Rajitha Senaratne court cases
2
Cases Total
1
Indicted
1
Trial Ongoing
Kirinda Fisheries Harbour sand removal case
Alleged corruption involving removal/sale of sand from the Kirinda Fisheries Harbour development, with investigators alleging a government loss exceeding approximately Rs. 26.2 million.
What’s happened
Indictments were filed in the Colombo High Court on 11 Aug 2026. On 3 Sep 2026 five Section 70 corruption charges were served; reporting listed 13 witnesses and 25 documents, bail continued, and passport surrender was ordered.
- Court
- Colombo High Court
- Next hearing / due
- Next hearing not confirmed
Modara Fisheries Harbour bribery case
Rajitha Senaratne, former Fisheries Minister, is one of three defendants prosecuted in the Colombo High Court over an alleged financial loss to the government from the lease of the Mutwal (Modara) Fisheries Harbour to a private company (alleged period reported as 1 Aug - 1 Nov 2014 per Counterpoint, 18 Jan 2021, and NewsFirst, 3 Jun 2025; an earlier '2012' date recorded here appears to belong to the Kirinda matter).
The trial is now at the evidence stage: prosecution witnesses have testified and been cross-examined by the defence. This is a trial-stage procedural development, not a conviction.
What’s happened
Judge Mohamed Mihail is presiding in the Colombo High Court. Further hearing fixed for 17 November 2026. This is a separate prosecution from the Kirinda fisheries-harbour matter (rajitha-senaratne-01), a different deal from the same period of his tenure as Fisheries Minister.
- Court
- Colombo High Court
- Next hearing / due
- 17 November 2026
Sources (2)
Rajitha Senaratne in the news
In the news
Stories in the news feed that name Rajitha Senaratne, with every outlet’s report of each grouped together. These are other outlets’ reports; what they say is not Nadu’s verified record.
No stories naming Rajitha Senaratne in the news right now. New reports appear here as outlets publish them.
Rajitha Senaratne political career
Ministerial positions
Former Cabinet Minister and former Member of Parliament
Dates not publicly confirmed
Other political positions
No other positions publicly confirmed.
Rajitha Senaratne party history
In SLFP student politics in the early 1970s; exact formal joining/ending dates for this early interval are not pinned down.
Joined after the party’s formation in the 1980s; exact dates unresolved.
Subsequent party in his pre-UNP career; exact dates unresolved.
Associated with the SLFP after crossing to the Rajapaksa government. Exact formal joining date is unresolved; expelled in Nov 2014.
Readmitted to the SLFP in Feb 2015 and had membership suspended in Jul 2015. Exact final termination date was not established; later DNM membership bounds this as a past interval.
Subsequently joined DNM; 2020 ballot history records DNM as the party and SJB as the alliance.