• Case involving CBK/MR and 2 high-profile politicos including a former deputy min. and an ex-MP pertain to the alleged misuse of K’gala state land 

The Ministry of Land and Irrigation is preparing to submit information to the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) regarding the controversial misuse of a State-owned land in Kurunegala, which has reportedly involved two former Presidents and two high-profile political figures.

Speaking in the Parliament recently, the Deputy Minister of Land and Irrigation, Dr. Susil Ranasinghe, said that two former Presidents, the late former Deputy Minister Salinda Dissanayake, and his spouse, former Parliamentarian Manjula Dissanayake, were involved in the misuse of a 1,000-acre land in Kurunegala.

When questioned by The Daily Morning about the action that the ministry would take regarding the matter, he said that the ministry is currently compiling details to be submitted to the CIABOC, including how the land was allocated and other related aspects. "What I presented in the Parliament was based on information provided by the ministry. The ministry knows what has happened. Some additional details need to be collected, and once that’s done, the set of information will be handed over to the CIABOC for the necessary investigations," the deputy minister added.

The land in question had reportedly been leased to Salinda Dissanayake, who later used it as collateral to obtain a loan from a private bank. The loan has since gone unpaid. Manjula Dissanayake, is also linked to the matter.

Ranasinghe said in the Parliament that during the years 2000 and 2007, steps had been taken under two former Presidents (Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga and Mahinda Rajapaksa served as the Presidents during the relevant periods) to first reduce the monthly lease payment related to the land and then cancel it altogether.