Rajapakse, then prime minister, went onto win the election despite a legislator from the opposition United National Party lodging the graft complaint and a subsequent police criminal investigation.

"The court held that the president's fundamental rights were violated and asked the complainant to pay 100,000 rupees (1,000 dollars) as damages from his own pocket," a court official said.

He said national Police Chief Chandra Fernando and another top police investigator were also asked to pay 1,000 dollars each to Rajapakse while the state was also ordered to pay 2,000 dollars to the president.

In September, Supreme Court Chief Justice Sarath Silva asked the police to halt their probe into bank accounts Rajapakse maintained to hold donations meant for tsunami survivors.

Two weeks earlier, a magistrate here gave police permission to examine three private bank accounts amid allegations that Rajapakse helped himself to aid meant for those who survived the December 2004 tsunami.

Rajapakse's secretary Lalith Weeratunga maintained that there was no wrongdoing and the premier had held the foreign aid money in a private account to ensure faster disbursement of relief to tsunami victims.

The 82.9 million rupees (829,000 dollars) in question had since been transferred to the account of the state and Rajapakse had not taken "even a cent" for his use, Weeratunga said.

Sri Lanka received a flood of foreign aid following the December 26, 2004 tsunami which killed over 31,000 people and left a million homeless in the country.

-Amal Jayasinghe: win98win@gmail.com