Sri Lanka’s justice system has turned into a circus act once again, as a magistrate blasts the police for sending incomplete files to the Attorney General, delaying fraud charges against Trade Minister Wasantha Samarasinghe—who, despite a standing arrest order, continues to walk free.
Mt. Lavinia Magistrate A. D. Chathurika de Silva delivered a scathing rebuke to the Colombo Fraud Bureau after it was revealed that the case files involving Trade Minister Wasantha Samarasinghe had been sent to the Attorney General before the investigation was complete.
The case stems from the fraudulent leasing of a building owned by the National Workers’ Institutions Trust for Rs. 3.6 million. Samarasinghe and several others are accused of impersonating officials of the National Workers’ Congress trade union to push the deal through.
The magistrate questioned the inexplicable urgency to send incomplete documents to the Attorney General, warning that such moves would only delay justice further. When pressed about the progress of the investigation, Fraud Bureau officers claimed the file had been referred for legal advice. The magistrate responded firmly, ruling that consultation with the Attorney General should only occur after a full investigation.
The police, in a further report filed last Friday, stated that all statements had now been recorded. Minister Wasantha Samarasinghe himself gave a statement on August 21, while earlier testimonies were collected from Deputy Minister Mahinda Jayasinghe and Kaduwela Mayor Ranjan Jayalal on August 14.
The magistrate inquired if investigations had revealed ownership of the disputed building. Police confirmed Samarasinghe had told investigators that he was acting as taxpayer for the building, based on a 2020 union decision, and insisted the leasing money was used for union purposes.
President’s Counsel Maithri Gunaratne, representing the trust alongside Attorney Kisal Senanayake, charged that the decision to prematurely refer the file to the Attorney General was a deliberate ploy to stall proceedings. Gunaratne argued that police had already informed the court that crimes had been committed and that the court had ordered the immediate arrest of the suspects, including Samarasinghe.
He went further, accusing Samarasinghe of a criminal act by falsely presenting himself as a trade union officer to lease the building when a legal panel of officers already existed. Gunaratne warned the police were now attempting to adopt an entirely different position to shield the minister.
Magistrate De Silva adjourned the ruling on the petition to formally name Samarasinghe and others as suspects until September 26. She noted that since she was being transferred to another court, the order would be left to her successor. She emphasized that she had faced no outside pressure in handling the case, though her frustration with the police’s conduct was clear.
Meanwhile, despite an active order to arrest him, Wasantha Samarasinghe remains free—a reminder of Sri Lanka’s unique political theatre where files go missing, judges get transferred, and ministers accused of fraud still manage to hold office.
