Mount Lavinia Magistrate orders statements from Deputy Labour Minister Mahinda Jayasinghe and Kaduwela Mayor-elect Ranjan Jayalal in a Rs. 3.6 million fraud case involving a National Labour Institute building lease. Trade Minister Samarasinghe also under scrutiny.
A major fraud investigation is unfolding after the Mount Lavinia Magistrate’s Court, presided by A.D. Chathurika de Silva, directed the Colombo Fraud Investigation Bureau (CFIB) to record formal statements from Deputy Labour Minister Mahinda Jayasinghe and newly elected Kaduwela Mayor Ranjan Jayalal.
The investigation centers around serious allegations that the suspects used falsified documents and posed as union officials to lease a property owned by the National Labour Institute of Trade Unions for Rs. 3.6 million. According to legal submissions, the lease was executed without proper authorization, and the building, a government-linked asset, was fraudulently appropriated.
The court also ordered the CFIB to submit the previously recorded statement from Trade Minister Wasantha Samarasinghe and present all documentary evidence gathered so far, including the original building deed and legal rulings relevant to the case.
This order followed a motion filed by President’s Counsel Maithri Gunaratne, who appeared for the aggrieved party. Gunaratne, alongside attorneys Kisal Senanayake and Ishad Shabdeen, argued that Minister Samarasinghe should be formally named as a suspect. He presented evidence suggesting that Samarasinghe collaborated with an individual named Cyril Ananda to unlawfully lease the trade union building registered under the Department of Labour.
Gunaratne pointed out that Samarasinghe’s involvement was documented in the police’s initial B-reports filed with the court, making it essential that his role be further scrutinized under legal proceedings.
In response, Magistrate de Silva ordered the submission of Samarasinghe’s full statement and scheduled the verdict for July 25. The CFIB is now tasked with verifying the extent of Samarasinghe’s involvement before the court delivers a ruling on whether he should be named an official suspect.
The court also emphasized the need for transparency, demanding a full paper trail from the fraud investigation, including registration records, internal communications, and ownership proof related to the leased property.
The case, which implicates high-ranking political figures in alleged financial misconduct, has sparked significant public interest, especially amidst ongoing concerns about misuse of public property and corruption within government-affiliated institutions.
The matter will be taken up again on July 25, when the court will decide on whether to include Trade Minister Samarasinghe as a suspect and assess the legality of the transactions.
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