Galle Bonavista Principal remanded for accepting bribes at a restaurant for school admissions

The principal of Bonavista College, a well-known school located in Rumassala, Unawatuna, Galle, has been arrested on the charge of accepting a bribe of two and a half lakh rupees (250,000 LKR) to admit two children to the school, and has been remanded until the upcoming 15th after being produced before the court. The principal thus remanded is 54-year-old Ranjith Fonseka, a resident of Ahangama.

The suspect, who was arrested by officers of the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption, was produced before the court, and Galle Magistrate Sameera Dodangoda issued this order yesterday (08).

According to a complaint made by the mother of the children concerned, the suspect principal initially demanded six lakh rupees (600,000 LKR) to admit these two children to Grade 1 and Grade 8 in the year 2026. Later, the bribe amount was reduced to three lakh rupees (300,000 LKR), and it is stated in the complaint that one lakh fifty thousand rupees (150,000 LKR) was initially received from that amount. Even after receiving that amount, the suspect further demanded additional money, and the complainant mother further alleges that he threatened to remove the children from school if the remaining amount was not paid.

Acting on the received complaint, officers of the Bribery Commission arrested the suspect principal on the afternoon of the day before yesterday (07) at a restaurant located in Katugoda, Habaraduwa, Galle, while he was accepting a bribe of two lakh fifty thousand rupees (250,000 LKR). After detaining the arrested principal at the Galle Port Police and recording his statement, steps were taken to produce him before the Galle Magistrate's Court yesterday (08) afternoon.