Update, 25 September (evening): Both men arrested by CIABOC on Friday morning were released on bail the same day by Colombo Chief Magistrate Asanga S. Bodaragama, each under an overseas travel ban. Details below.

The Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) arrested two former senior state officials within hours of each other on Friday, in separate cases centred on public procurement and state recruitment.

Lanka Mineral Sands: Rs. 34.4 million in casual wages

CIABOC officers arrested Udeni Jayaratne Dassanayake, former Chairman of Lanka Mineral Sands Limited, at about 9.25 a.m., the Daily Mirror reported.

The commission alleges he bypassed established recruitment procedures and exceeded the approved staff cadre when taking on casual employees at the state-owned company during 2023 and 2024. Wage payments to those workers came to Rs. 34,438,650.42 — a figure NewsFirst reports CIABOC treats as the loss caused to the company. The commission says arranging those salary payments conferred an unlawful advantage on the individuals recruited.

Buddhasasana Ministry: three book-printing contracts

Later the same day, CIABOC arrested Muthubandage Kamal Bandara Dissanayake, former Secretary to the Ministry of Buddhasasana, over government book-printing contracts.

According to the commission, he bypassed government procurement procedure on three separate occasions to award printing contracts for a book titled “Dahami Niwahanai Apekama Radhi Heta Dinayai” to a preferred entity. The three contracts were worth Rs. 4.79 million in total.

CIABOC alleges payments covering the full contract value were authorised without confirming that the printed books had been delivered to, or properly accounted for at, the ministry warehouse — causing a loss to the state while providing an unlawful benefit to the contractor.

A third arrest: alleged bribe inside the court system

Separately, CIABOC arrested Chinari Lakmanthi Hettiarachchi, wife of former Deputy Minister Sarana Gunawardena, over an alleged attempt to influence court proceedings against her husband.

The commission alleges she offered a Rs. 50,000 bribe to an office assistant attached to Colombo High Court No. 11, seeking to sway the case being heard against the former deputy minister and to secure a suspended prison sentence.

All three suspects were due to be produced before the Colombo Chief Magistrate’s Court. None of the allegations has been tested in court, and no charges have yet been filed.

Update, 25 September: Hettiarachchi remanded

Colombo Chief Magistrate Asanga S. Bodaragama ordered Chinari Lakmanthi Hettiarachchi remanded until 6 October, the Daily Mirror reported. The order was made after the magistrate considered submissions from CIABOC officials and lawyers appearing for the suspect.

Bodaragama is the same magistrate who on Friday further remanded the former private secretary to former Minister Chamara Sampath Dassanayake in a separate corruption case.

Update, 25 September: both arrestees bailed

Udeni Dassanayake — Rs. 2 million bonds, case called 20 November

Magistrate Bodaragama released the former Lanka Mineral Sands chairman on two personal bail bonds of Rs. 2 million each and imposed an overseas travel ban, NewsFirst reported. The case was fixed to be called again on 20 November. Hiru News reported the same order.

NewsFirst restates the allegation in the terms put to court: that the irregular recruitment of casual labourers during 2023 and 2024, outside approved procedures and in excess of the authorised cadre, caused a loss of Rs. 34,438,650.42 to the state-owned enterprise, and that facilitating salary payments to those workers conferred undue benefits on them.

M.K.B. Dissanayake — Rs. 1 million bonds, case called 18 December

The former Buddhasasana Ministry secretary was released on two personal bail bonds of Rs. 1 million each, also with an overseas travel ban, NewsFirst reported. His case was fixed for 18 December. Hiru News carried the same order.

Two details the outlets record differently

NewsFirst puts the loss in the printing case at “over Rs. 5 million”, where the Daily Mirror’s account of the arrest gives the three contracts a combined value of Rs. 4.79 million. The two outlets also transliterate the book’s title differently — NewsFirst renders it “Dahami Niwahanai Apekhama Rekagamu”, the Daily Mirror “Dahami Niwahanai Apekama Radhi Heta Dinayai”. Neither discrepancy is flagged by either outlet.

Bail at this stage is routine and carries no finding on the allegations, which remain untested.