The President’s former Chief of Staff, I. H. K. Mahanama, and former State Timber Corporation (STC) Chairman P. Dissanayake, who were in remand custody on bribery charges, were further remanded until August 10 by Colombo Chief Magistrate Ranga Dissanayake yesterday.
Senior President’s Counsel Arsha Kularathna appearing for Dissanayake asked court what would happen for suspects if bail was not granted them under special circumstances? “Should they be remanded until the investigations were over?” the counsel asked.
The counsel appearing for I. H. K. Mahanama pleaded to consider the time taken for the investigations as a special circumstance and grant his client bail.
I. H. K. Mahanama had asked for Rs. 540 million from an Indian investor to help him acquire a part of the Kantale Sugar Factory while Mahanama was Land Ministry Secretary.
The Indian investor had refused to pay the money saying that it was too high.
The suspects thereafter had allegedly agreed to accept Rs 100 million. The two were arrested at a car park of a luxury hotel in Colombo on May 3 by the officers of the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption while the suspects were accepting Rs. 20 million.
The counsel appearing for the Bribery Commission asked to fix a date to answer the submission by the defendant party.
The Magistrate observed that the time spent on the case was not a special circumstance to grant bail and refused the plea.
The case was fixed for August 10.
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