Chamara within 11 days - the 'truth' of what has been done will be revealed in court

Colombo Chief Magistrate Asanga S. Bodaragama has ordered the remand of Member of Parliament Chamara Sampath Dasanayake until October 23. He was arrested on charges of accepting bribes and illicitly accumulating assets worth billions of rupees by acting outside proper tender procedures during his tenure as the State Minister of Primary Industries and Chief Minister of Uva Province.

Although the MP was summoned to the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption last Friday to give a statement regarding the charges, he did not attend on that day. Instead, he had informed by letter that he would appear before the commission today (12). Accordingly, after he appeared before the Bribery Commission this morning and his statement was recorded for nearly four hours, he was arrested and produced before the court.

Officials from the Bribery Commission, presenting facts before the court, pointed out that during his time as the State Minister of Primary Industries, Mr. Chamara Sampath Dasanayake, disregarding even the instructions of the Ministry Secretary, had granted phosphate export licenses to only three selected companies based on his influence, deviating from the prescribed procurement procedures.

The Commission reported to the court that a total bribe of Rs. 8.4 million had been received for granting these licenses: Rs. 2.2 million from D.M. Traders, Rs. 5.9 million from Disaru International, and Rs. 0.3 million from Ichchan Company. These funds were deposited into the bank account of Sumathipala Liyanarachchi, who served as the MP's personal secretary and is currently in remand custody. The Bribery Commission also informed the court that statements and summarized evidence reports provided by the first suspect, the secretary, confirmed that these funds were used for Mr. Chamara Sampath Dasanayake's political promotional activities.

Additionally, based on a complaint made by the Presidential Additional Secretary (Anti-Corruption Special Investigations) on March 21, 2026, the Bribery Commission also revealed facts to the court regarding the MP's illicit asset accumulation. Investigations have revealed that he accumulated these illicit assets through his wife, family relatives, and personal secretary by accepting bribes from gem businessmen and taking money by promising employment.

Accordingly, it has been revealed that a hotel named "Ella Rawan Place" worth Rs. 80 million in the Ella area, two luxury houses worth Rs. 30 million, and a five-perch land in Badulla town are registered under the suspect's wife's name. It was also stated in court that a sum of Rs. 23 million was deposited into the personal secretary's government bank account in Badulla during the period from January 31, 2017, to January 1, 2025, alone.

The Director General of the Bribery Commission had submitted a certificate to the court in accordance with Section 179 of the Anti-Corruption Act, and accordingly, the Commission pointed out that exceptional circumstances must be presented for the suspect to be granted bail.

President's Counsel Kalinga Indatissa, appearing for the suspect MP, submitted a bail application arguing that none of the summarized evidence reports of the fifteen witnesses presented to the court in connection with the original complaint from 2023 contained any direct mention of his client soliciting, accepting, or conspiring to accept bribes. The President's Counsel also pointed out that the relevant subject matter did not fall under his client's line ministry, and that companies receiving phosphate export licenses are decided by a committee, not by the minister.

After extensively considering the facts presented by both parties, Colombo Chief Magistrate Asanga S. Bodaragama decided that no exceptional circumstances had been presented to grant bail in connection with the five cases filed regarding the granting of licenses to phosphate companies and the acceptance of bribes from gem businessmen. Accordingly, the Magistrate rejected the MP's bail application and ordered the remand of Member of Parliament Chamara Sampath Dasanayake until October 23.