The Permanent High Court at Bar today (08) served indictments on the President’s former Chief of Staff  I.H.K. Mahanama and the former Chairman of the State Timber Corporation (STC) Piyadasa Dissanayake who were arrested while accepting a bribe of Rs 20 million, says Ada Derana reporter.

The Bribery Commission served 14 indictments against the defendants and named 46 individuals as the witnesses of the case. In addition, 41 documents pertaining to the case have also been submitted to the court.

The defendants were subsequently released on bail. Each defendant has been imposed a cash bail of Rs 500,000 and three personal bails of Rs 1 million.

The three-judge bench consisting of Judges Sampath Abeykoon, Sampath Wijeratne and Champa Janaki Rajaratne also imposed an overseas travel ban on the defendants and ordered to take their passports into the custody of the Special High Court.

Representing the Bribery Commission, Deputy Solicitor General Ayesha Jinasena stated that all the documents pertaining to the case would be handed over to the defence today.

Defence attorneys President’s Counsels Rienzie Arsecularatne and Anil Silva sought the judge bench to set a date to present submissions to the court if there are any shortcomings in the documents handed over to them by the prosecution.

Accordingly, the Special High Court judge bench ordered to take up the case again on the 22nd of July.

Deputy Solicitor General Ayesha Jinasena requested the court to grant permission to reveal several audio recordings that have been sealed off as evidence in the case and currently held in the custody of the Bribery Commission during the next hearing.

The three-judge bench accordingly granted permission to the deputy solicitor general’s request.

The suspects were arrested by the Bribery Commission for allegedly soliciting a bribe of Rs 20 million from an Indian businessman in order to transfer the machinery equipment belonging to the Kantale Sugar Factory in May 2018.