A major fraud case involving a Rs. 3 million forged property deed has now pulled top government officials into the spotlight. With the Mount Lavinia court demanding statements from key ministers, the investigation deepens into how state property was leased under allegedly fraudulent conditions. This probe could spark wider political tremors if deeper connections to power are uncovered.
The Colombo Fraud Investigation Bureau has submitted a comprehensive report to the Mount Lavinia Magistrate’s Court regarding an alleged financial fraud involving a forged deed used to lease a two-storey building and land belonging to the National Labour Institute for Rs. 3 million.
Following the submission, Mount Lavinia Magistrate A.D. Chathurika de Silva issued a directive for the Fraud Investigation Bureau to record statements from three high-profile individuals: Minister of Trade, Commerce, Food Security and Cooperative Development Wasantha Samarasinghe, Deputy Minister of Labour Mahinda Jayasinghe, and Kaduwela Mayor Ranjan Jayalal. The magistrate also ordered that their statements be added to the ongoing investigation file.
According to court sources, the report includes key evidence uncovered during the investigation. This includes a certified copy of the allegedly forged deed connected to the property, as well as critical documentation such as the minutes from a meeting held on 3 September 2017, which appointed Wasantha Samarasinghe as the President of the National Workers Congress Trade Union.
The report further contains certified lease agreements numbered 166, 206, and 207, along with legal documents from multiple courts, including the Kaduwela District Court, Mount Lavinia District Court, and the Civil Appeal High Court, all relating to the disputed land and building.
Officers from the Colombo Fraud Investigation Bureau formally presented the documents to the magistrate for further legal scrutiny, marking a major development in a case that could have significant political and legal ramifications.
