A controversial corruption case tied to a national exhibition resurfaces as a former government official secures bail amid allegations of tender manipulation, financial loss, and abuse of power.
The Colombo Chief Magistrate Asanga S. Bodaragama yesterday ordered the release on bail of a former director of the Deyata Kirula exhibition who was accused of causing a financial loss of Rs. 9 million to the government by awarding a tender for a temporary toilet system to her son’s company.
Bail was granted to Kanthi Gunawardena, a former Assistant Secretary to the Ministry of Telecommunications and Information Technology and a director involved in the exhibition. She had previously been arrested by the Criminal Investigation Department in connection with the alleged corruption case and was produced before court, after which she was remanded for three months. The Chief Magistrate stated that bail was granted considering her period of remand and the fact that she had been named as a suspect based on a complaint filed by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption.
Presenting facts before the court, the Bribery Commission revealed that a total sum of Rs. 15 million had been approved for the construction of temporary toilet facilities for the Deyata Kirula National Exhibition in 2013. However, it was alleged that the suspect deliberately caused a loss of Rs. 9 million to the government by allocating only Rs. 600,000 and awarding the tender to a company owned by her son and associates, raising serious concerns over procurement irregularities and misuse of public funds.
Attorney-at-law Dhanushka Prasanjana, who appeared on behalf of the suspect, informed the court that his client had already been arrested and remanded by the CID in connection with the case and assured that she would fully cooperate with the ongoing investigation. Taking into account the submissions made by both the prosecution and defense, the Chief Magistrate ordered her release on bail and directed the Bribery Commission to submit further facts regarding the case on July 24.
