The Central Crime Investigation Bureau (CCIB) has begun investigating whether remarks made by former minister Wimal Weerawansa at an SLPP rally in Anuradhapura on 12 September amounted to contempt of court.

The inquiry was opened on the instructions of the Inspector General of Police, following a directive from the Colombo Chief Magistrate, the Daily Mirror reported.

The order is now being acted on

This is the next stage of a matter we reported on 18 September, when Chief Magistrate Asanga S. Bodaragama directed the IGP to investigate. Today’s development is that police have actually opened the file.

NewsFirst reports that the CCIB has already reported facts to Colombo Magistrate’s Court No. 2, and that the magistrate has directed investigators to keep the court informed of the inquiry’s progress.

Hiru News reports that the investigation is proceeding on complaints and material received about views Weerawansa expressed at the public rally.

Where the complaint came from

The question reached court during proceedings in the Airbus bribery case against MP Namal Rajapaksa. Deputy Solicitor General Janaka Bandara, appearing for the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC), asked the court to examine whether the rally remarks were contemptuous, and submitted a compact disc containing a recording of the speech.

Still not established

No outlet reports what Weerawansa actually said about the court order — the element any contempt finding would turn on. No finding has been made against him, no notice to respond is reported, and no timeframe for the CCIB report is stated.

Weerawansa separately faces a Court of Appeal contempt matter over a July protest, which is a distinct proceeding before a different court.

Update: September 29, 2026

Unedited video footage of the rally is now being handed over to the Central Crime Investigation Bureau, Deputy Solicitor General Janaka Bandara told Chief Magistrate Asanga S. Bodaragama on Tuesday, Hiru News reported.

Appearing for the Attorney General, Bandara said investigations are under way and that facts have been reported to Colombo Magistrate’s Court No. 2. The footage is being submitted following court directives issued to seven media institutions — which explains how investigators are obtaining unedited recordings of the September 12 rally rather than broadcast edits.

That partly answers the question this article flagged as unresolved. The inquiry turns on what Weerawansa actually said, and the unedited footage is the material that would establish it. What he said still has not been reported.

Bandara also asked the court for a copy of the remand order issued for Namal Rajapaksa, to assist the bureau with its inquiries. The magistrate granted the request and instructed the court registrar to issue a copy to the CCIB.

That is a direct procedural link between the two matters. The alleged contempt concerns remarks about judicial orders issued to Rajapaksa, who was refused bail and remanded in the Airbus and Krrish cases before the same magistrate on the same day. Investigators now need the text of that order to assess the remarks against it.

No finding has been made against Weerawansa, and no timeframe for the CCIB report was given.

Follow-up: Weerawansa has since been summoned to the CCIB on Friday, 2 October to record a statement, and police say the unedited footage has now been secured.

Sources