Former President Ranil Wickremesinghe will appear before the Bribery Commission on Monday (28 April) over the statement he had made on MP Chamara Sampath Dassanayake, his lawyers have informed the Commission.

Accordingly, the former President will appear before the Commission at 9.30 am on Monday.

Wickremesinghe was initially summoned by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) on 17 April in relation to a statement he had made about the corruption case filed against New Democratic Front MP Chamara Sampath Dassanayake.

In response to the previous summons, Wickremesinghe had indicated that he is prepared to appear before the Commission but requested a different date citing that his Attorneys will not be available in Colombo during the New Year holiday period.

Accordingly, the Commission provided him with a new date and requested him to appear before the Commission at 09.30 a.m. on Thursday (25 April).

On 07 April, Wickremesinghe had said that Dassanayake withdrew the fixed deposits belonging to the Uva Provincial Council, over which he is now facing corruption charges, in accordance with a circular issued during his tenure as the Prime Minister.

The former President questioned whether the MP’s arrest over the matter was in response to his vocal criticism of the government in Parliament.  Dassanayake is currently in remand custody for allegedly misappropriating a sum of Rs. 1 million of the Uva Provincial Council in 2016. Dassanayake was taken into custody on 27 March, over three separate corruption-related cases. The Colombo Magistrate’s Court previously granted bail in the cases filed against him but he remains in remand custody due to an order issued by the Badulla Magistrate’s Court.

According to the CIABOC sources, Dassanayake had solicited funds from three state banks, claiming they were intended to provide bags for preschool children in the province. Two banks

complied, granting him Rs. 1 million and Rs. 2.5 million, which were later transferred to his foundation account. However, when a third bank refused to provide funds, Dassanayake retaliated by withdrawing the Uva Provincial Council’s fixed deposits from that institution. The Bribery Commission filed a case against the MP, citing the government incurred a financial loss of Rs. 17.3 million due to his actions.