Fort Magistrate orders release of ex-Ministry Secretary Mayadunne on bail

By A.J.A. Abeynayake

Colombo Fort Magistrate Nilupuli Lankapura on Thursday (30) ordered the release of Priyantha Mayadunne, the former Secretary to the Ministry of Public Administration, on two surety bonds of Rs. 2 million each, following his arrest over allegations of misappropriating cooperative funds.

The investigation, initiated based on a complaint by a former Commissioner of Cooperatives, concerns an alleged breach of trust involving Rs. 183 million linked to the 2011 Isuru Saviya event, held to mark International Cooperative Day in Kurunegala.

Presenting the case, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) informed the court that the Attorney General had advised transferring the investigation to the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption. The recommendation was made after the initial inquiry indicated that offences under the Bribery Act had likely occurred.

During the investigation, it was revealed that Rs. 1 million had allegedly been withdrawn from cooperative funds under the pretext of covering transport costs for the event. Initially, the suspect had failed to disclose the recipient of the funds, but in a statement given to the police yesterday, he claimed that the money had been handed over to a bodyguard of former Minister Johnston Fernando.

The police, citing the ongoing nature of the investigation, requested that the suspect be remanded until 13 May. However, defence lawyers argued that Mayadunne was a respected public servant who had served across multiple Ministries and had acted on the instructions of the Minister. They maintained that he had not committed any breach of trust and requested that bail be granted.

After reviewing the evidence, the magistrate ruled that there was insufficient justification to deny the bail request and ordered Mayadunne’s release on two surety bonds of Rs. 2 million each. The case will be recalled on 28 May for further proceedings.