Mount Lavinia Magistrate A.D. Chathurika De Silva has reprimanded officials of the Colombo Fraud Bureau (CFB) for forwarding extracts of a case involving Trade Minister Wasantha Samarasinghe to the Attorney General before completing the investigation, Sunday Times reported.
The case concerns a property belonging to the National Workers’ Institute, which was allegedly leased for Rs. 3.6 million by individuals, including Mr. Samarasinghe, who are accused of posing as representatives of the National Workers’ Congress.
During proceedings, the magistrate questioned why an incomplete file had been rushed to the Attorney General, warning that such a move could cause unnecessary delays. She instructed the CFB to seek legal opinion only after completing their probe.
Police informed court that all relevant statements had now been recorded. Minister Samarasinghe was questioned at the Fraud Bureau on August 21, while Deputy Minister Mahinda Jayasinghe and Kaduwela Mayor Ranjan Jayalal gave statements earlier on August 14.
When asked whether the building belonged to Mr. Samarasinghe, police replied it did not. They added that in his statement, the minister claimed he acted in line with a decision taken at the union’s 2020 general meeting, and that the lease proceeds were used for union needs.
Counsel for the aggrieved party, President’s Counsel Maithri Gunaratne assisted by Attorney-at-Law Kisal Senanayake, alleged that the file had been sent to the AG prematurely as a delaying tactic. He noted that the court had already ordered the arrest of suspects, while accusing Mr. Samarasinghe of unlawfully posing as a union official despite the presence of legitimate office bearers.
The magistrate deferred her decision on whether to name the minister and others as suspects until September 26, noting that her transfer to another court meant the new magistrate would deliver the order. She emphasised that no external pressure had influenced the handling of the case.
