The case was called before Colombo High Court Judge Rashantha Godawela. During the proceedings, the indictments carrying the corruption charges were read out to the former minister in open court, to which the defendant pleaded not guilty. Following his plea, the court ordered the formal commencement of the trial.
According to the charge sheet filed by the Bribery Commission, the case dates back to 2016, during Kumara Jayakody's tenure as the Procurement Manager of the Ceylon Fertilizer Company Limited.
The prosecution alleges that Jayakody manipulated and executed procurement procedures for a carpeting contract within the fertilizer company's warehouse premises in a manner that unlawfully advantaged a private firm. The Bribery Commission states that this structural manipulation of the bidding process caused a financial loss of 8,859,708 rupees to the state.
