A Sri Lankan court has issued an arrest warrant for parliamentarian Namal Rajapaksa after he failed to appear in court, with the order coming as he arrived in the Maldives on a private trip, officials and media reports said.
The Hambantota Magistrate’s Court issued the warrant on Monday for Rajapaksa, 39, who is accused of accepting a bribe of about 70 million Sri Lankan rupees (LKR) in 2015. Prosecutors allege the funds were linked to a land deal in an exclusive area of Colombo involving the Indian company Krish Real Estate, under the guise of promoting rugby in Sri Lanka.
Rajapaksa, the son of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa and a former youth minister, was charged in January 2025. He has denied wrongdoing, calling the allegations politically motivated and accusing the government of targeting members of his family.
Rajapaksa arrived in the Maldives on the same flight as President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, who is in the country on a state visit. According to media reports, Rajapaksa travelled to the Maldives to attend a wedding.
Sri Lankan authorities have not yet commented on whether steps will be taken to seek his return.