Sarath Weerawansa, brother of former minister Wimal Weerawansa, has been released on bail by Colombo Fort Magistrate's Court following his arrest over allegations of misusing state vehicles.

Sarath Weerawansa appeared before Colombo Fort Magistrate Pasan Amarasekara on July 28 and was granted bail in connection with allegations of misusing government vehicles. According to the Financial Crimes Investigation Division, he was arrested on July 15 over the incident.

According to News 1st, the court set bail conditions including a cash deposit of Rs. 100,000 and two sureties of Rs. 10 million each. The magistrate also imposed a foreign travel ban and ordered Weerawansa to surrender his travel documents to the court. He had been in remand custody since his initial arrest.

The charges relate to the alleged misuse of approximately 40 government vehicles that were provided by the Presidential Secretariat during his brother Wimal Weerawansa's tenure as Minister of State Engineering Corporation. According to News 1st's reporting, the misuse is said to have caused financial losses of approximately Rs. 41 million to the government. The exact nature of the vehicle misuse and the mechanism by which financial losses occurred have not been detailed in available reports.