Colombo Chief Magistrate calls for written submission in former DLB Chairman’s corruption case

By T. Farook Thajudeen

Colombo Chief Magistrate Lal Ranasinghe Bandara yesterday ordered the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption and the former Chairman of the Development Lotteries Board to file a written submission in court on 3 August in three cases filed by the commission.

He made this order upon considering the objections raised by President’s Counsel Kalinga Indatissa, who appeared with Niroshan Siriwardena for the former Development Lotteries Board’s Chairman Chandrawansa Pathiraja during the trial. The counsel objected to the prosecution’s request to amend the charges against the suspect at the trial stage.

He said since some of the prosecution witnesses had already testified before the Magistrate it was wrong to the prosecution to move court to amend the charges. He said there was no provision in the law to do so at the trial stage.

However, Counsel Asith Anthony, appearing for the commission, said it was for the Magistrate to decide on that and the defence could not object to it. The Magistrate ordered the parties to submit written objections in Court on 3 August.

Parliamentarian Vijitha Herath had complained to the Bribery Commission that the accused had caused a huge monetary loss to the DLB.

He had said that inside sources of the DLB had informed him that the loss had occurred when Pathiraja awarded the promotional work on the Janajaya and the Super Ball lotteries to a company known as D2 of 52 at which his cousin was a Director. The Director General of the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption had filed this case against the suspect under Section 70 of the Bribery Act for awarding promotional activities to the company in violation of the law. The BC had listed 16 people as witnesses.