The Chairman of the Kuchchaveli Pradeshiya Sabha, Ainiya Pillai Mubarak (50), and his private driver, M. M. Irshad (34), have been arrested by officers of the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs. 500,000 to issue a land permit.
The arrests were made in the Iqbal Nagar area in Kuchchaveli following a complaint lodged by a woman resident of Mullaitivu.
According to the Bribery Commission, the Pradeshiya Sabha Chairman had earlier accepted Rs. 160,000 from the complainant for a permit covering 20 perches of land and later demanded an additional Rs. 500,000 to issue a permit for the remaining portion.
The suspects were taken into custody while accepting the latter amount and have since been handed over to the Nilaveli Police for further questioning.
They are expected to be produced before the Trincomalee Magistrate’s Court later today.
Officials said the arrested chairman represents the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC), which jointly controls the Kuchchaveli Pradeshiya Sabha along with the Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi (ITAK) following the last local government election. (Newswire)
