Viraj Wickramanayake, the owner of the Mr. Kottu restaurant chain, has publicly apologized to all the employees, including Nipun, whom he assaulted. He also said that he was ready to pay the necessary compensation to all the employees in court. This is stated in a video he released after being granted bail.
He states in the video that he accepts that the audio recordings and security camera footage of the employees being assaulted that have been circulating on social media in recent days are not artificially generated and are real videos.
He also points out that he is grateful to the current government and the President for allowing the police and the judiciary to act independently without any political influence to enforce the law regarding the wrongdoings he has committed.
Although he admits that he is a flawed person, he states that he has been subjected to severe smear campaigns and criticism on social media to the point where he feels like he is the only person in the world who commits wrongdoings.
He states that he has obtained large loan facilities from several well-known commercial banks and financial institutions in the island for his business network, and that Mr. Kottu is running the business amidst economic difficulties. He also mentions in his video that he is grateful to all the customers who have trusted him and come to his restaurants even in such difficult times.