Former Galle District Member of the Southern Provincial Council and former Leader of the House, Vithanachchi Don Chamili Padmalal, was arrested today by officers of the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) over alleged irregularities in the procurement of plastic chairs that investigators say caused a financial loss to the state.
According to CIABOC investigations, the case relates to a procurement carried out in 2019 by the Southern Provincial Development Authority, which purchased armless plastic chairs worth Rs. 16.5 million from a private company using councillor allocations. Investigators allege that the purchase exceeded procurement limits stipulated under the Southern Provincial Chief Secretary's Circular (Finance) 3/2016.
Authorities further state that when the chairs were distributed among Provincial Council members, Padmalal declined to accept the 305 chairs allocated to him.
Investigators allege that after the Southern Provincial Council was dissolved on April 10, 2019, and despite his Rs. 300,000 councillor allocation advance having already been settled, Padmalal requested that another batch of chairs be purchased on his behalf.
CIABOC alleges that the subsequent procurement was carried out without the mandatory approval of the Governor. As a result, 408 additional armless plastic chairs were purchased from a private supplier in Galle and delivered directly to Padmalal's residence, causing what investigators describe as an unlawful financial loss to the government.
Following his arrest on August 4, 2026, Padmalal was produced before the Colombo Chief Magistrate's Court. After the initial hearing, the court ordered that he be released on bail while legal proceedings continue.
