Former State Minister Shasheendra Rajapaksa was arrested this morning (6) by officers of the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) in connection with an alleged fraudulent compensation claim.
Rajapaksa was taken into custody at his residence in Nugegoda over a 2022 incident involving state land in the Sevanagala–Kiriibban Wewa area, where a building illegally constructed on land belonging to the Sri Lanka Mahaweli Authority was damaged during the island-wide public unrest on May 9, 2022.
According to CIABOC, despite the Mahaweli Authority rejecting compensation claims for the property on the grounds that it was government-owned, Rajapaksa is alleged to have used his official position to influence officials at the damage assessment office in a bid to secure compensation through a third party.
He is accused of both committing and conspiring to commit acts of corruption, including the unlawful and fraudulent use of state-owned property, in violation of provisions under Section 5(1) of the State Property (Recovery of Possession) Act No. 12 of 1982, as amended.
Rajapaksa was brought to the Bribery Commission following his arrest, and a statement was being recorded at the time of publication.
He is expected to be produced before the Colombo Magistrate’s Court.
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