A corruption case filed against former Minister and Kalutara District Parliamentarian Rohitha Abeygunawardena for the alleged unlawful acquisition of assets estimated at Rs. 41.1 million was yesterday re-fixed for trial by the Colombo High Court. When the case came up before High Court Judge Sampath Wijeratne, the Defence Counsel appearing for the accused moved Court that a further date be given for the trial since his Senior Counsel was not present in Court.
Accordingly,the case will be taken up for trial on October 25. The sixth,seventh, eighth and ninth witnesses of the case were advised to appear in Court on the next date.
On an earlier occasion, the High Court had overruled preliminary objections raised by the former Minister against the Bribery Commission’s decision to amend the charges and decided to proceed with the trial.
The Director General of the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption had filed an indictment in the Colombo High Court on two counts against former Minister Rohitha Abeygunawardena for the unlawful acquisition of assets estimated at Rs.41.1 million.
In his indictment, the Director General of the Bribery Commission alleged that the former Minister had committed this offence by way of undeclared assets , between 2004 to 2006.
The Director General alleged that the former Minister had unlawfully made 66 monitory transactions, constructed a house and purchased a jeep in contravention of Section 23(a) of the Bribery Act.
The Director General further alleged that former Minister Abeygunawardena had owned these properties-deemed under the provision of the Act to be property acquired by bribery.
Counsel Niroshan Siriwardena appeared for the accused.
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Unlawful acquisition of assets
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