The full story of Weligama's former chairman, who caused a loss of Rs. 39.6 million to the government, unfolds in court.

A trial is being held at the Colombo Chief Magistrate's Court regarding an incident where the government incurred a loss of over 396 lakh rupees due to four alleged financial frauds and corrupt acts committed by the former Chairman of the Weligama Pradeshiya Sabha. The suspect, Daya Pushpakumara Bettage, who is the former Chairman of the Weligama Pradeshiya Sabha and a current Pradeshiya Sabha member of the Sarvajana Balaya Party, arrested in connection with this incident, has been further remanded until June 02 by the Colombo Chief Magistrate 

Mr. Asanka S. Bodaragama has ordered. This order was issued after the suspect, a resident of Thudella Road, Kamburugamuwa, was produced before the court by prison officials.

The Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption, presenting facts before the court, stated that the suspect former chairman was arrested after extensive investigations into four corruption charges, including selling his private lands to the Pradeshiya Sabha to obtain money and irregularly exchanging lands owned by the Sabha. According to the information revealed, the suspect had purchased a private land for ten lakh rupees and, six years later, transferred it to the Weligama Pradeshiya Sabha for an inflated price of 94 lakh rupees without any legal basis, thereby obtaining the money. Furthermore, the Commission stated that although 40 lakh rupees had been paid to the permit holder of a government-owned land with the intention of acquiring it for the Pradeshiya Sabha, the land was ultimately not acquired by the Sabha, leading to the misuse of government funds.

Another serious charge against the suspect is the initiation of a project to distribute school supplies to children from low-income families in the Weligama Pradeshiya Sabha area without proper approval. A large sum of 26,025,650 rupees was spent on purchasing exercise books for this purpose, but the project was later abandoned midway. Over forty thousand exercise books purchased in this manner are currently piled up at the Pradeshiya Sabha premises, unused. Furthermore, investigations have revealed that the suspect caused a severe financial loss to the Sabha by transferring a valuable plot of land, 202 perches, which had been reserved for the Pradeshiya Sabha by a private land development company, to a relative for a very small sum of two lakh rupees.

It was also revealed in court that the suspect had threatened the former Secretary of the Weligama Pradeshiya Sabha for giving a statement to the Bribery Commission regarding these corrupt acts. Officials from the Bribery Commission requested that the suspect not be granted bail as investigations are ongoing and further evidence is being collected. However, President's Counsel Nalinda Indratissa, appearing for the suspect, stated that his client does not currently hold the chairman's position and therefore has no ability to influence witnesses. Therefore, the President's Counsel requested the court to release him under any strict bail condition.

Considering all the facts and evidence presented, the Colombo Chief Magistrate rejected the suspect's bail application as the investigations are still not concluded. Accordingly, the Magistrate ordered the suspect to be further remanded until the 2nd of next month and instructed that all documents related to the investigation held by the Weligama Pradeshiya Sabha be taken into the custody of the Bribery Commission. Furthermore, the Bribery Commission was further ordered to complete recording statements from all relevant witnesses and to submit a progress report of the investigations to the court on that day.