Culture Chief to Courtroom: SSP Sathish Gamage

A Top Cop’s Double Life

It was a shocking twist for the Police Cultural Division when its Acting Director, SSP Sathish Gamage, was taken into custody on bribery and money laundering charges. According to the Bribery Commission, Gamage’s polished public image masked a lucrative underground operation stretching back to his time overseeing the Galle and Embilipitiya Police Divisions.

Millions in the Shadows

Investigators allege that Gamage amassed Rs. 14 million in bribes from a mix of organized criminals, citizens seeking police services, and other offenders. The cash, far from staying in plain sight, was allegedly funneled into three bank accounts opened under another person’s name — a tactic prosecutors say was designed to hide the illicit trail.

From Power to Prosecution

The Bribery Commission claims the transactions reveal a pattern of calculated laundering, with funds quietly moved between accounts before authorities caught on. Gamage’s arrest this morning sets the stage for a dramatic appearance before the Colombo Magistrate’s Court, marking a spectacular fall for a man once tasked with shaping the cultural face of the police.