President’s former Chief of Staff I. H. K. Mahanama and State Timber Corporation (STC) Chairman P. Dissanayaka, who were arrested on bribery charges, were further remanded until June 5 by the Colombo Magistrate’s Court.
When the case was taken up before Colombo Additional Magistrate Ranga Dissanayake today (22), the attorney representing the Bribery Commission requested from the court that the accused be sent to the Cognitive Science Lab of the Government Analyst’s Department to obtain a report on their voices.
They request the court to instruct prisons officers to transport the suspects to the Government Analyst’s Office on the date given.
However, Defence counsels argued that there are no legal provisions in the penal code for such a test.
The Additional Magistrate stated that he will study the request and announce his decision at the next court date.
The two suspects were arrested on May 3 while accepting a bribe of Rs 20 million from an Indian investor.
Mahanama, the former secretary of the lands ministry, had asked for a bribe of Rs 540 million from the 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 the bribe.
