The Colombo Magistrate’s Court yesterday (7) rejected a request by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to impose overseas travel bans on motor racing champion Dilantha Malagamuwa and three others over their alleged involvement in a scheme to forge deeds and sell valuable land in Colombo at substantially reduced prices.
When the request was made before Colombo Additional Magistrate Lahiru Silva, the Magistrate declined to grant it and instructed the CID to first take steps to name the four individuals as suspects in the case.
The CID had sought travel bans against Malagamuwa, Shantha Vithana Gamage, Desmond Amarasinghe and Saman Jayaweera. Investigators told the court that their departure from the country could obstruct an ongoing inquiry into whether they were involved in a large-scale racket involving forged deeds, the forcible acquisition of land in Colombo and other areas, and its subsequent sale at undervalued prices.
The investigation centres on the alleged sale of a 43-perch property at No. 18, Barnes Place, Colombo 07, valued at more than Rs. 2.5 billion, to a well-known vehicle sales company for Rs. 1 billion.
An 80-year-old Pannipitiya resident, identified as Ariyapala Dissanayake, has already been arrested in connection with the alleged transaction and is currently in remand custody.
When the case was taken up following a motion filed in relation to the complaint, CID officers informed the court that preliminary investigations had revealed that three of the four individuals had allegedly shared the proceeds from the sale of the Barnes Place property.
The CID further alleged that Malagamuwa had received 14 luxury vehicles instead of money. Officers said further investigations were underway into both those who allegedly shared the proceeds and the individual who allegedly received the vehicles.
The CID also informed the court that Dissanayake, who remains in remand custody, was currently suffering from an illness.
After considering the submissions, the Magistrate ordered the Superintendent of Prisons to submit a medical report on Dissanayake’s condition.
The Magistrate also instructed the CID to name the four individuals against whom travel bans were sought as suspects in the case and ordered investigators to report the progress of the inquiry to the court.
