Sri Lanka Supreme Court imposes travel ban on Keheliya Rambukwella

The Supreme Court of Sri Lanka has issued an immediate travel ban against former Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella and four other high-ranking officials. The directive follows contempt of court proceedings initiated by Transparency International Sri Lanka (TISL) after the respondents failed to comply with a previous judgment regarding the importation of substandard medicines.

In a ruling delivered in March, the court found that fundamental rights were violated through corrupt procurement processes involving an emergency Indian credit line. As part of that judgment, Rambukwella was ordered to pay Rs. 75 million to the state treasury, while former Ministry Secretary Janaka Chandragupta, former NMRA Chairman Prof. S. D. Jayaratne, former NMRA CEO Dr. Vijith Gunasekara, and the former Director of the Medical Supplies Division were each ordered to pay Rs. 50 million.

A three-judge bench, led by Chief Justice Preethi Padman Surasena, ordered the respondents released on personal bonds of Rs. 50 million each. The court granted a three-month window to settle the outstanding financial compensation. The travel ban has been issued to the Controller General of Immigration and Emigration to prevent the individuals from fleeing the country while accountability measures are enforced.