Mahanama, Piyadasa get bail

President Maithripala Sirisena’s former chief of staff I.H.K. Mahanama and the State Timber Corporation’s former chairman Piyadasa Dissanayake were released on bail by Colombo Chief Magistrate Ranga Dissanayake yesterday.they were each released on a cash bail of Rs.100,000 with three sureties for Rs.2 million. The Magistrate directed that one of the sureties should be a close relation of the suspects.

The suspects were in remand since March 15 on charges of accepting a bribe of Rs.20 million from an Indian investor who had wanted to obtain the Hingurana Sugar Factory to set up a private sugar company.

The Indian investor had complained to the Bribery Commission that these two officials had solicited a bribe leading to the suspects being arrested in a five-star hotel while having in the possession the marked currency issued by the commission to the complainant.

The Magistrate granted bail after observing that there were defects in the objections filed in court by the Counsel for Bribery Commissioner Thanuja Bandara.

He said the report was ambiguous on how the bribe was accepted by the suspects.

The Magistrate pulled up the Bribery Commission for not submitting two separate certificates in respect of the suspects.

The case was fixed for December 11.

Counsel Gayan Maduwela appeared for the BC. Counsel Ajith Pathirana and several other lawyers appeared for the suspects.