Colombo Chief Magistrate Thanuja Lakmali today (3 June) ordered the release on bail of former Minister Keheliya Rambukwella, his son Ramith Rambukwella, and the former coordination secretary to the minister, Nishantha Bandara Basnayake. The three were in remand in connection with financial misconduct allegations.
The case relates to three complaints involving over Rs 8 million in losses to the state, allegedly incurred when Keheliya Rambukwella served as the Minister of Mass Media, Health, and Environment. Fifteen individuals were reportedly appointed nominally to his personal staff, and their salaries, allowances, and overtime payments were fraudulently claimed.
Each suspect was released on a cash bail of Rs 50,000 and two personal sureties of Rs 1 million each. Additionally, a travel ban was imposed, and the bail conditions specified that the sureties must be close relatives of the suspects.
Bribery Commission officials requested court permission to obtain specimen signatures from Ramith Rambukwella for further investigation. The magistrate ordered him to appear before the Commission tomorrow to provide these samples.
During the hearing, an officer from the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) stated that Ramith Rambukwella had allegedly signed off on payments to the nominal staff while his father held ministerial office. Furthermore, it was revealed that money had been deposited into an account belonging to Nishantha Bandara Basnayake—the former coordination secretary—and those funds were allegedly used by Keheliya Rambukwella’s daughter, Amali Rambukwella.
Investigations revealed that an ATM card linked to this account had been used by Amali Rambukwella at a private bank in Kandy. However, in a statement recorded by the Bribery Commission last week, she denied using the card. Therefore, the authorities are conducting further investigations to identify who actually used the card, including tracing phone call records related to the transactions.
Investigators also noted that a statement is required from another individual, Sameera Somaweera, a former coordinating officer to the ex-minister. He has not yet been located and is reportedly implicated in another unrelated case involving the search for a historic artefact known as “Sandagala” from the era of King Narendrasinghe.
Given the advanced stage of the investigation, the Bribery Commission had initially requested that the suspects remain in custody to prevent interference. However, defence counsel representing the accused argued that their clients posed no risk of influencing the investigation and requested their release on any suitable bail conditions.
President’s Counsel Kalinga Indatissa, representing Keheliya Rambukwella and Ramith Rambukwella, stated that the former minister had already been in remand for 28 days and had no ability to tamper with evidence. Nalinda Indatissa PC, appearing for Nishantha Bandara Basnayake, also assured the court that his client would not interfere with witnesses or evidence.
After considering all submissions, the magistrate granted bail and scheduled the next hearing for 10 October.
