The Colombo Chief Magistrate’s Court has ordered the release on bail of the former Director General of the Reparations Office and current Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Justice and National Stability, Seka Saman Kumari, who was arrested by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC).
Chief Magistrate Asanka S. Bodaragama issued the order after considering the submissions made by officials of the Bribery Commission and the defense.
Accordingly, the suspect was released on two surety bonds of Rs. 1 million each, while the court also ordered that the witnesses in the case should not be arrested.
Further, the Magistrate directed that the suspect should not be involved in any compensation-related activities and instructed the Secretary to the Ministry of Justice to ensure she is not assigned to such duties.
The bail order noted that the suspect had served in the public sector for an extended period and had not personally benefited financially from the incident.
The court ordered that the suspect be summoned again on October 14 for the next hearing.
Seka Saman Kumari was arrested by the Bribery Commission for conspiring and abetting the payment of Rs. 8.85 million as compensation for a building constructed on Mahaweli land owned by former State Minister Shasheendra Rajapaksa, which had been destroyed during a protest.
