Sri Lankan MP Chamara Sampath Dassanayake Arrested Over Alleged Rs 8.1 Million Phosphate Export Bribe
The Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption arrested Member of Parliament Chamara Sampath Dassanayake on Monday after he arrived at the anti-graft agency to record a statement for an ongoing probe.
The inquiry centers on accusations that Dassanayake accepted a bribe amounting to 8.1 million rupees from three private firms. Investigators allege the funds were received in exchange for bypassing standard official procedures to grant those specific companies exclusive rights to export phosphate.
Authorities also accuse the lawmaker of unlawfully helping the three favored entities secure the required export licenses for the mineral shipments.
The case has already led to legal action against his former ministerial staff. Sumathipala Liyanarachchi, who functioned as Dassanayake’s private secretary while the lawmaker served as the State Minister of Primary Industries, was previously taken into custody over his alleged role in the scheme and remains in remand custody. (News21)
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