RADA Director suffers from mental distress: Lawyer

Magistrate Liyanage yesterday called for a forensic psychiatric report from the NIMH and further remanded Dr. Samarasinghe till August 12

The counsel appearing for Reconstruction and Development Agency’s (RADA) former Finance and Administration Director Dr. Jayantha Samarasinghe informed the Colombo Fort Magistrate on Wednesday that his client was suffering from mental distress and receiving treatment at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) in Angoda. President’s Counsel Anil de Silva informed Magistrate Priyantha Liyanage that the Police Special Investigation Unit (SIU) investigations and interrogations of his client in relation with the alleged fraud at RADA when the key suspects were at large, had led to his clients mental condition.

Dr. Samarasinghe was arrested and remanded on charges of having aided and abetted the commissioning of the alleged fraud and approving vouchers issued to contractors for the purpose of constructing houses for tsunami-affected people in the North and East through the RADA, sources said.

Magistrate Liyanage yesterday called for a forensic psychiatric report from the NIMH and further remanded Dr. Samarasinghe till August 12. Police alleged the RADA Company established in 2006 under the Chairmanship of Mr. Tiran Alles for the purpose of constructing houses for the tsunami-affected people in the East Coast had obtained Rs. 645 million from the Treasury with the approval of the Presidential Secretariat, but that no houses had been constructed. They said the companies -‘B.M.K. Holdings’ and ‘Everest Civil Engineering’ also set up for this purpose had not been registered and bore false addresses.

Police said the funds collected by the RADA were credited to Oomps Textiles Ltd., through the fake companies and that Rs. 127 million allocated by the Treasury had been misappropriated.