The bribery case against MP Chamara Sampath Dassanayake took a dramatic turn today (16 May) as Colombo Chief Magistrate Thanuja Lakmali heard arguments disputing a key defence made by former President Ranil Wickremesinghe.

Dassanayake, currently in remand custody, was produced in court over allegations that he caused a loss exceeding Rs. 1.76 billion to the government during his time as Chief Minister of the Uva Provincial Council. The loss allegedly stemmed from the premature withdrawal of a fixed deposit belonging to the Council.

A Bribery Commission officer told the court that the withdrawal was made on 29 February 2016, months before a Treasury circular—cited by Wickremesinghe to justify the withdrawal—came into effect on 22 November 2016.

Wickremesinghe had earlier told the media that a 2015 Treasury circular permitted such premature withdrawals by Provincial Councils. However, the Bribery Commission said today that his statement was factually inaccurate and had negatively influenced the ongoing investigation.

The court also heard that Wickremesinghe made the public statement at the request of Dassanayake’s wife. The investigating officer claimed this amounted to an attempt to interfere with the probe and requested that Dassanayake’s bail be revoked.

Chief Magistrate Lakmali ordered that the request be considered later this afternoon.