Former minister's wife falls to death

Mrs. Deshani Gunaratne, 55, wife of former Minister Jagath Pushpakumara, has passed away due to an accident after falling from the second floor of a newly constructed building. A mother of two, she was admitted to the Karapitiya Teaching Hospital in Galle in a serious condition after the accident and succumbed to her injuries this morning (19) while receiving treatment.

Family sources state that arrangements have been made to transport her body to her home in Thanamalwila for final rites.

It is not clear whether she fell by accident, and investigations are still ongoing.

The husband of the unfortunately deceased Mrs. Deshani Gunaratne, former Cabinet Minister of Coconut Development and People's Estate Development, Mr. Jagath Pushpakumara, was arrested and produced before the court in connection with several corruption charges leveled by the Bribery Commission in the recent past. 

Colombo Chief Magistrate Asanga S. Bodaragama ordered his release on two personal bails of 5 million rupees each and also issued orders to the Controller General of Immigration and Emigration prohibiting his foreign travel. 

The former minister is currently out on bail facing numerous charges, including influencing the promotion of election government projects and causing an expenditure of 2,665,000 rupees, misappropriating flood relief and failing to distribute it among the public, and pressuring plantation companies to provide 4,000 T-shirts and 3,000 sarees to participants of May Day rallies.

Preliminary investigations into the accident involving the former minister's wife have now commenced.