A startling revelation was made during a recent Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) meeting regarding a suspicious land transaction involving a deceased individual. The case revolves around a person named Charles Neville Udalagama and a land parcel known as “Male 81” in the Matale District.
Initial Land Claim and Transfer
Charles Neville Udalagama was originally allocated 44 acres of land in Kongasyaya, Matale under a legitimate land settlement. However, citing the presence of illegal occupants, he requested an alternative plot. Subsequently, he was granted two parcels totaling 24 acres in Udawalawatta.
On 22 June 2010, Udalagama issued a Power of Attorney authorising a man named Jayampathi Aluvihare to handle land transactions on his behalf. On the same day, a deed was executed to sell the original Kongasyaya land to Aluvihare — the very land Udalagama claimed to have rejected due to illegal encroachment. Both documents were signed before the same notary, raising concerns over procedural integrity.
Forgery After Death
The most serious concern emerged from a letter dated 20 March 2023, supposedly signed and fingerprinted by Udalagama to revoke the 2010 Power of Attorney. However, a death certificate confirms Udalagama passed away on 23 March 2018 — five years prior to the letter’s date.
Further, in December 2023, a letter also bearing Udalagama’s alleged signature requested land allocation, strengthening suspicions of forgery involving a deceased individual.
Payments and Documentation
Despite the evident red flags, the Land Commissioner General’s Department approved the allocation of an alternative plot to Udalagama in September 2023. On 17 July 2024, the Land Reform Commission approved the same under Section 22 of the Land Reforms Act. A letter issued the same day called for a security deposit of Rs. 200,000, which was paid by a woman named Priyangani Liyanarachchi, COPE Chairman said.
On 30 July 2024, a second payment of Rs. 100,000 was demanded for another plot. A receipt for this payment reportedly bore Udalagama’s signature, despite him having been deceased for over six years at that point.
Officials admitted before the COPE that no proper identity verification process was followed, and the person making the payments was not confirmed as a legal representative of the deceased.
Internal Investigations and Legal Issues
It was only through an internal audit conducted via the Director General of Land Documentation that Udalagama’s death was officially acknowledged. According to standard legal practice, a Power of Attorney becomes null and void upon the death of the grantor, and any subsequent action based on such authority is invalid.
COPE members criticised the department’s conduct, describing it as one of the worst examples of administrative failure. Serious concerns were also raised about the sale of others’ land, lack of accountability, and the forgery of official documents.
A state administrative officer has been appointed to lead an external investigation into the matter, which is ongoing.
