Former Minister Kumara Welgama granted bail

Court granted bail to former Minister of Transport Kumara Welgama when the bribery case against him was taken up for hearing yesterday.

The Colombo Chief Magistrate Gihan Pilapitiya ordered the release of MP Welgama on a cash bail of Rs. 25,000 and two sureties of Rs. 2 million each over a Rs. 3.2 million bribery case filed by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery and Corruption last month.

The Bribery Commission last month filed action against Welgama on charges of illegally paying Rs. 3.2 million to the former Vice Chairman of the Sri Lanka Transport Board during his tenure as the Transport Minister of the previous Government.

Welgama appeared in Court yesterday on notice issued by the Court last month.

The case was fixed for next hearing on 24 March.