The arrest warrant was issued when the magisterial inquiry into the financial malpractice was taken up for hearing today. During the proceedings, President’s Counsel Kalinga Indatissa, appearing on behalf of the third suspect in the case, informed the magistrate that his client wished to make a confidential statement to the court under Section 127 of the Criminal Procedure Code.
The CID’s Illegal Assets Investigation Division had previously reported the case to the court, alleging that a sum of 7.8 million rupees allocated to the Tourism Promotion Bureau in 2014 had been diverted. Instead of being utilized for tourism promotion activities, the funds were reportedly used to purchase 12,000 t-shirts for the Uva Provincial Council election campaign, causing a significant financial loss to the state. Investigators confirmed that the suspects are being charged under the Offences Against Public Property Act.
During today's hearing, the Magistrate questioned the CID whether the Financial Director, whose name appears in the B-report, would be formally named as a suspect in the case. The CID officials responded that they are currently awaiting advice from the Attorney General regarding the matter.
Addressing the open court, Magistrate Amarasena noted that both the third suspect (the former Managing Director) and the Financial Director had signed the first and third payment vouchers tied to the transaction. The Magistrate highlighted that since the Financial Director had not yet been taken into custody despite signing the documents, it was fair to grant bail to the former Managing Director.
Accordingly, the court ordered the release of the third suspect, former SLTPB Managing Director Rumi Jauffer, on two personal bails of 10 million rupees each. The Magistrate also imposed a travel ban on Jauffer, barring him from leaving the country. Earlier on June 10, the second suspect in the case, former SLTPB Chairman Bhashwara Gunaratne, was also released on two personal bails of 10 million rupees each.
The case is scheduled to be recalled for further hearing on October 14, 2026.
