Former State Minister Lohan Ratwatte, who was arrested and remanded for causing a road accident while Driving Under the Influence (DUI) of alcohol, has been granted bail. He was ordered to be released on bail after being produced before the Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court (MC) yesterday (9).

Ratwatte was arrested on 6 December for causing a road accident while Driving Under the Influence of alcohol and threatening the aggrieved party. Subsequently, he was remanded until yesterday after being produced before the Colombo Chief MC on 7 December.

Ratwatte, who was released on bail on 5 December in a separate case, was returning from a relative’s house on 6 December when his Defender collided with another vehicle near the Kollupitiya junction. Following a complaint made to the Kollupitiya Police regarding the accident, investigations confirmed that he was under the influence of alcohol at the time, leading to his arrest on charges of causing an accident while intoxicated. Accordingly, Police arrested Ratwatte on charges of causing an accident while Driving Under the Influence of alcohol.

Meanwhile, Ratwatte has withdrawn a petition seeking an order that his arrest over the incident of discovering a luxury car illegally imported and assembled in Sri Lanka in his wife’s house was unlawful. The petition was taken up before Court of Appeal (CA) President , Justice Nissanka Bandula Karunaratne yesterday during the trial, President’s Counsel Sanjay Rajaratnam who appeared for the petitioner Ratwatte informed the Court that his client has been granted bail over the incident and requested permission for the petition to be withdrawn. The CA, which accepted the request, allowed the petition to be withdrawn, and ordered the dismissal of the petition.