President’s Chief of Staff Dr I.H.K. Mahanama and the Chairman of the State Timber Corporation (STC) P. Dissanayake, who were arrested yesterday for accepting a bribe of Rs 20 million, have been remanded until May 9, 2018.
The two arrested suspects were produced before Colombo Chief Magistrate Lal Ranasinghe Bandara, at his official residence on Sarana Road, Colombo last night.
Producing the suspects before the Chief Magistrate, officers of the Bribery Commission stated that as investigations are still ongoing releasing them on bail would obstruct the investigation and therefore requested that they be placed in remand custody.
The Chief Magistrate ordered the two suspects remanded until May 9 and also called for a report on the progress of investigations on that date.
Mahanama, the former secretary of the lands ministry, had asked for a bribe of Rs 540 million from an Indian investor interested in acquiring a state-owned sugar factory.
The two were arrested at a car park of a luxury hotel in the capital Colombo while they were accepting a 20 million rupees bribe from the investor for the transfer of land, he said.
The President’s office said in a statement the service of both the officials had been suspended, and the president had instructed the CIABOC officials to enforce the law strictly against the two without any obstruction.
