Three former senior officials of Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Trade were arrested Tuesday over alleged corruption linked to a procurement process to launch an online lottery, the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) said.
Those arrested include former Trade Ministry Secretary A.M. Priyanka Maddumabandara, former Additional Secretary (Administration) Doraisamy Jeevanandam, and former Chief Financial Officer Kaluwewa Aravinda Priyadarshani de Silva.
According to CIABOC, the arrests relate to irregularities in the procurement process to select an investor to operate an online lottery under the Lalith Athulathmudali Mahaweli Higher Education Scholarship Trust Fund.
Investigators allege that despite a bidder being successfully selected through the initial procurement process, the contract was not awarded, causing a loss to the government and the relevant institution. Authorities further allege that corruption occurred when fresh bids were called.
The suspects are also accused of soliciting and accepting a bribe of 1 million rupees (about $3,000) from a company affiliated with an institution that had been unsuccessful and rejected during the initial bidding process.
The three suspects were arrested at around 10:05 a.m., 10:20 a.m. and 10:30 a.m., respectively, by officers of CIABOC. They are scheduled to be produced before the Colombo Chief Magistrate’s Court, the commission said. (Newswire)