New Democratic Front (NDF) Badulla District Member of Parliament Chamara Sampath Dassanayake has been granted bail by the Badulla Magistrate’s Court.
Badulla Magistrate Nujith de Silva ordered that Dassanayake be released on two surety bails of Rs. 1 million each, in connection with a case filed by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) regarding the misappropriation of Rs. 1 million.
The charges relate to Dassanayake’s tenure as Chief Minister of Uva Province in 2016, during which he allegedly solicited funds from three state banks, claiming the money was to provide school bags for preschool children. Two banks reportedly released Rs. 1 million and Rs. 2.5 million, which were later transferred to a personal foundation account linked to Dassanayake.
When a third bank declined the request, Dassanayake allegedly retaliated by withdrawing the Uva Provincial Council’s fixed deposits from the institution.
He was initially arrested on 27 March in connection with three separate corruption cases. Although previously granted bail by the Colombo Magistrate’s Court in two of those cases, he was remanded again after being presented before the Badulla Magistrate’s Court.
