Case against Keheliya for paying phone bill using public funds

The Bribery Commission yesterday filed a case against former Minister Keheliya Rambukwella for allegedly causing an unlawful loss of Rs.230,984 to the government after paying his mobile phone bill using State Printing Corporation (SPC) funds, while functioning as the Mass Media Minister in 2012.

The Bribery Commission also named former State Printing Corporation Chairman Jayampathi Bandara Heenkenda as an accused for aiding and abetting to commit the offence. When the case came up before Colombo Chief Magistrate Lal Ranasinghe Bandara, the two accused were noticed to appear in Courts on July 17.

The Director General of the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption filed this case against former minister and former SPC chairman under section 70 of the Bribery Act on three counts.

The Bribery Commission alleged that the former minister had induced the CPC chairman to pay his mobile phone bill from March 15, 2012 to April 14, 2012 causing an unlawful loss to the government, while serving as the Mass Media Minister.

Meanwhile, the Bribery Commission filed 13 other cases against the SPC former chairman for causing a loss of Rs.74 million to the government when paying hotel bills and bonus payments using SPC funds.