W.M. Sampath Preethi Viraj (Sampath Manamperi)
Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP)
7
Legal matters
3
Investigations
2
Charges pending
0
Acquitted / dismissed
1 matter convicted or under appeal — see the Cases tab for the breakdown.
Next in court
Not publicly confirmed
W.M. Sampath Preethi Viraj (Sampath Manamperi) is facing charges. During the Middeniya investigation, police said they recovered a 9mm pistol, two T-56 magazines, 115 rounds of T-56 ammunition, and a hand grenade linked to Sampath Manamperi at a property in Middeniya, and alleged the items had been supplied to him roughly two months earlier by an organised-crime figure reported as 'Backhoe Saman'. He was remanded in this matter in September 2025. On 11 September 2026, the Tangalle High Court granted him bail: a cash bail of Rs.10,000 and two sureties of Rs.250,000 each. This bail order is specific to the weapons/grenade matter. It does not, by itself, establish Sampath's custody status in his other recorded matters (sampath-manamperi-03, -04, -06, -07) - see current_custody_status.reason.
W.M. Sampath Preethi Viraj (Sampath Manamperi) legal timeline
- 11 September 2026Middeniya weapons and live-grenade case
Bail Granted
The Tangalle High Court granted Sampath Manamperi bail: a cash bail of Rs.10,000 and two sureties of Rs.250,000 each.
Court: Tangalle High Court
Sources (1)
- 24 April 2026Middeniya methamphetamine chemical-stock…
Hearing
A Newsfirst report on the Illegal Assets Investigation Division's restriction of a vehicle linked to Sampath (see sampath-manamperi-07) separately described him as 'currently in remand custody' on this date, and tied that detention to the Middeniya chemical-stock case at Ka'riyamaditta, Thalawa South. This is the latest independently verified custody confirmation located for this matter - it moves the last confirmed point forward from the 25 Feb/4 Mar 2026 court date by nearly two months, though it is a press description rather than a specific new court order, and 'hearing' is used here only as the closest available event category.
Court: Walasmulla Magistrate's Court
Sources (1)
- 25 February 2026Middeniya methamphetamine chemical-stock…
Remanded
Remanded until 4 March 2026; police told the court that their investigation concerning him had been completed and that laboratory reports had detected 15 kg 19 g of crystal methamphetamine in material connected to the case. Police also said that two men already in custody and produced in court that day - 'Backhoe Saman' and 'Tembili Lahiru' - would be named as suspects, while two further organised-crime suspects, 'Kehelbaddara Pathme' (also reported elsewhere as 'Kehelbaddara Padme') and 'Panadura Nilanga', were expected to be produced before court later - indicating the investigation had widened beyond the two brothers.
Court: Walasmulla Magistrate's Court
Sources (1)
- 24 December 2025Middeniya methamphetamine chemical-stock…
Remanded
A magistrate authorised a further 90-day detention order for Sampath. Newsfirst reported the nominal end date as 26 March 2026; a separate report gives 20 March 2026 instead, and that discrepancy is not resolved here. In the event, Sampath was produced again well before either date - on 25 February 2026 - and remanded until 4 March 2026 (see the following event), which superseded this nominal end date.
Court: Walasmulla Magistrate's Court
Sources (1)
- 19 December 2025Middeniya methamphetamine chemical-stock…
Remanded
Produced (with Piyal) before Walasmulla Magistrate Malsha Kodithuwakku. Police from the Western Province North Crimes Division sought a further 90-day detention order from the expiry of the then-current order on 24 Dec; the magistrate ordered further detention until 24 December.
Court: Walasmulla Magistrate's Court
Sources (1)
- 8 November 2025Illegal assets and vehicle investigation
Questioned
Police seized three vehicles - a bus, a cab, and a luxury car - belonging to Sampath, saying the cab had reportedly been used to transport cannabis.
Sources (1)
- 30 September 20252009 Narahenpita rice-lorry robbery indi…
Summoned
The Colombo High Court, under Judge Rashantha Godawela, issued a warrant to have Sampath produced in connection with the 2009 Narahenpita robbery indictment, since he was already in custody in the separate Middeniya investigation, and requested a report on his remand status.
Court: High Court of Colombo
Sources (2)
- 30 September 2025Meegasare Kajja murder firearm-supply in…
Questioned
Reported by Newsfirst and Hiru News to have admitted, during police questioning, to supplying the firearm used in the 18 Feb 2025 killing of Aruna 'Meegasare Kajja' Widanagamage and his two children.
Sources (2)
- 26 September 2025Middeniya methamphetamine chemical-stock…
Remanded
Police obtained a 90-day detention order to continue interrogating Sampath in connection with the Middeniya chemical stock.
Court: Walasmulla Magistrate's Court
Sources (1)
- 23 September 2025Middeniya weapons and live-grenade case
Remanded
Remanded by the Walasmulla Magistrate's Court after police said they recovered a 9mm pistol, two T-56 magazines, 115 rounds of ammunition, and a hand grenade linked to him.
Court: Walasmulla Magistrate's Court
Sources (2)
- 17 September 2025Middeniya methamphetamine chemical-stock…
Remanded
Surrendered to the Walasmulla Magistrate's Court, which authorised a seven-day detention order for questioning over the Middeniya chemical stock.
Court: Walasmulla Magistrate's Court
Sources (2)
- 14 September 2025Middeniya methamphetamine chemical-stock…
Hearing
The National Dangerous Drugs Control Board reportedly tested 20 samples collected from the Middeniya site and found that 17 of the 20 contained chemicals used to produce crystal methamphetamine ('Ice'). This is a laboratory finding about the recovered material, not itself a court hearing, arrest, or charge, and 'hearing' is used here only as the closest available event category.
Court: Walasmulla Magistrate's Court
Sources (1)
- 28 March 2013Cannabis trafficking and possession conv…
Arrested
Arrested by the Special Task Force (STF) on an allegation of transporting Cannabis Sativa (ganja), after borrowing his brother Piyal's vehicle. Produced before the Wellawaya Magistrate's Court.
Court: Wellawaya Magistrate's Court
Sources (1)
W.M. Sampath Preethi Viraj (Sampath Manamperi) court cases
7
Cases Total
3
Under Investigation
1
Charges Pending
1
Indicted
1
Convicted
1
Status Unclear
Cannabis trafficking and possession conviction (106 kg)
Sampath Manamperi, a former Sri Lanka Police officer who had been interdicted from service, was arrested by the Special Task Force on 28 March 2013 on an allegation of transporting cannabis, after borrowing his younger brother Piyal's vehicle (a Toyota double cab, reg. SP PE 1214) to move a paddy harvesting machine. He was indicted before the High Court of Monaragala (Case No. HC 79/2014) for trafficking and possession of 106 kg and 105 g of Cannabis Sativa. He pleaded guilty, was convicted, and was given a term of imprisonment suspended for 10 years together with a fine.
What’s happened
The vehicle used in the offence belonged to his brother Piyal and was ordered confiscated by the High Court on 6 Dec 2016 after this conviction; Piyal's separate, unsuccessful challenge to that confiscation is recorded at piyal-manamperi-02. This conviction is unrelated to the 2025-2026 Middeniya methamphetamine investigation recorded at sampath-manamperi-04.
- Court
- High Court of Monaragala (Case No. HC 79/2014)
- Sentence
- Imprisonment imposed and suspended for a period of 10 years, together with a fine. The Supreme Court's 2024 judgment in the related vehicle-confiscation appeal (piyal-manamperi-02) confirms both existed but does not state the nominal length of the prison term or the fine amount.
- Next hearing / due
- No upcoming hearing announced
Sources (1)
Nadarajah Raviraj assassination investigation (state witness)
Former TNA MP Nadarajah Raviraj and his police security officer were shot dead in Colombo in November 2006. Sampath Manamperi, a police officer at the time, was investigated in connection with the assassination and was made a State witness in the subsequent prosecution of six other accused rather than being prosecuted himself. A High Court jury acquitted those six accused on 24 December 2016; the Attorney General indicated he was considering an appeal against the acquittal. No prosecution or conviction of Sampath himself in connection with the assassination has been located.
What’s happened
Recorded as a historical legal event because his transition from suspect to State witness is significant to his overall record, not because it represents an active case. Sri Lanka Brief's report on the 2016 verdict names the witness as 'Wijeya Wickrema Manamperige Sanjaya Preethi Viraj' - a fuller rendering of the same name used elsewhere as W.M. Sampath Preethi Viraj.
- Court
- High Court of Colombo
- Next hearing / due
- No upcoming hearing announced
Sources (2)
2009 Narahenpita rice-lorry robbery indictment
The Attorney General has indicted Sampath Manamperi and three co-accused over an alleged armed robbery on 12 August 2009 near the Narahenpita junction, Colombo, in which the accused allegedly posed as police officers and threatened a Tamil businessman transporting rice from the Eastern Province, then took his lorry, cash, and mobile phone. The rice was valued at approximately Rs. 1 million. In September 2025 - by which point Sampath was already in custody in the separate Middeniya investigation - the Colombo High Court issued a warrant to have him produced and ordered a report on his custody status. No trial outcome has been located.
What’s happened
This is a distinct prosecution predating the 2025 Middeniya investigation by 16 years; the two are unrelated except that Sampath's custody in the Middeniya case is what prompted the High Court's Sep 2025 production order in this case.
- Court
- High Court of Colombo
- Next hearing / due
- No upcoming hearing announced
Sources (3)
Middeniya methamphetamine chemical-stock case
Sampath Manamperi is alleged to have been involved, with his brother Piyal, in concealing a large stock of chemicals - reported at roughly 50,000 kg - linked to methamphetamine ('Ice') production at a property he owned in Thalawa, Middeniya, discovered by police on 5 September 2025. After his SLPP party membership was suspended and a Court of Appeal application seeking safe-surrender assurances was filed on his behalf, he surrendered to the Walasmulla Magistrate's Court on 17 September 2025 and was detained for questioning, later extended under a 90-day detention order. By February 2026 he was remanded until 4 March 2026, with police telling the court that their investigation concerning him had concluded and that laboratory testing had detected 15 kg 19 g of crystal methamphetamine in material connected to the case. No indictment or conviction against him in this specific matter has been located.
What’s happened
Shares its case_slug with piyal-manamperi-01 because both matters arise from the same investigation and recovery event, even though the brothers' remand proceedings have run separately. Police separately linked material found here to an organised-crime figure reported as 'Backhoe Saman', who is alleged to have supplied Sampath with items later recovered in the related weapons/grenade matter (sampath-manamperi-05). Related development, 11 Sep 2026: Sampath was granted bail by the Tangalle High Court specifically in the separate live-grenade/weapons matter (sampath-manamperi-05). That order does not establish that he has been granted bail, or any other resolution, in this methamphetamine matter.
- Court
- Walasmulla Magistrate's Court
- Next hearing / due
- Next hearing not confirmed
Middeniya weapons and live-grenade case
During the Middeniya investigation, police said they recovered a 9mm pistol, two T-56 magazines, 115 rounds of T-56 ammunition, and a hand grenade linked to Sampath Manamperi at a property in Middeniya, and alleged the items had been supplied to him roughly two months earlier by an organised-crime figure reported as 'Backhoe Saman'. He was remanded in this matter in September 2025. On 11 September 2026, the Tangalle High Court granted him bail: a cash bail of Rs.10,000 and two sureties of Rs.250,000 each.
What’s happened
This bail order is specific to the weapons/grenade matter. It does not, by itself, establish Sampath's custody status in his other recorded matters (sampath-manamperi-03, -04, -06, -07) - see current_custody_status.reason.
- Court
- Tangalle High Court (remand proceedings: Walasmulla Magistrate's Court)
- Next hearing / due
- No upcoming hearing announced
Sources (3)
Meegasare Kajja murder firearm-supply investigation
Aruna Widanagamage, known as 'Meegasare Kajja', and his two children were shot dead while travelling on a motorcycle on 18 February 2025. In September 2025, Newsfirst and Hiru News reported that Sampath Manamperi admitted during police questioning to supplying the firearm used in the killings, saying he had acted as a distributor for an organised-crime figure reported as 'Backhoe Saman' and had facilitated the transport of firearms connected to other killings in southern Sri Lanka. Police separately said several people suspected of aiding the killing were close associates of Sampath. No indictment or conviction of Sampath over the murders has been located.
What’s happened
The reported admission is evidence from an ongoing police investigation, not a judicial finding; this matter is recorded as an investigation, not a charge or prosecution, unless and until an indictment is confirmed.
- Court
- Not publicly confirmed
- Next hearing / due
- No upcoming hearing announced
Sources (3)
Illegal assets and vehicle investigation
Police seized three vehicles - reported as a bus, a cab, and a luxury car - belonging to Sampath Manamperi on 8 November 2025, saying the cab had reportedly been used to transport cannabis. On 24 April 2026, the Police Illegal Assets Investigation Division temporarily suspended the use of a vehicle valued at Rs.17.5 million belonging to Sampath, saying preliminary investigations suggested it may have been purchased using illegally obtained funds; that report described him as being held in remand custody at the time. The investigation later reached former Minister Johnston Fernando, who appeared before the Illegal Assets Investigation Division on 2 June 2026 to give a statement about a vehicle he is alleged to have provided to Sampath on a rental basis. No conviction has been located in this investigation, and no allegation of wrongdoing by Johnston Fernando in the underlying drug matters has been reported.
What’s happened
Johnston Fernando's appearance is reported only as a witness/statement in this asset-tracing investigation, not as a suspect in the drug or weapons matters; Nadu has an existing separate record for Johnston Fernando (johnston-fernando) covering his own unrelated legal matters, and this investigation is not currently added to his record given the reporting describes only a statement, not a charge.
- Court
- Not publicly confirmed
- Next hearing / due
- No upcoming hearing announced
Sources (3)
W.M. Sampath Preethi Viraj (Sampath Manamperi) political career
Ministerial positions
No ministerial positions publicly confirmed.
Other political positions
SLPP local government candidate, Angunakolapelessa Pradeshiya Sabha (2025 election, defeated)
2025–2025
W.M. Sampath Preethi Viraj (Sampath Manamperi) party history
Membership suspended by the SLPP on 6 Sep 2025 following the Middeniya 'Ice' chemicals investigation naming him and his brother Piyal; SLPP General Secretary Sagara Kariyawasam said the party would not be lenient with those facing such allegations. Suspension is not an expulsion or resignation. Exact date of joining the SLPP is not confirmed in available sources.