Indictments have been filed in the Colombo Special High Court by the Bribery Commission against the President’s former Chief of Staff I. H. K. Mahanama and ex-State Timber Corporation (STC) Chairman P. Dissanayaka alleging that they had accepted a bribe from an Indian businessman.  
 
The suspects were arrested on May 8, 2018 in the act of accepting Rs.20 million as part payment of a bribe from an Indian businessman inside the car park of a five star hotel in Colombo.   
It was alleged that the two suspects had solicited a bribe of Rs. 540 million from the businessman but had subsequently reduced the sum of gratification to Rs.125 mn after negotiating with the businessman in order to support the businessman in obtaining approval to acquire machinery and building space needed to take over operations at the Hingurana Sugar Factory.   

 The suspects were arrested on May 8, 2018 in the act of accepting Rs.20 million as part payment of a bribe from an Indian businessman inside the car park of a five star hotel in Colombo.   

It was alleged that the two suspects had solicited a bribe of Rs. 540 million from the businessman but had subsequently reduced the sum of gratification to Rs.125 mn after negotiating with the businessman in order to support the businessman in obtaining approval to acquire machinery and building space needed to take over operations at the Hingurana Sugar Factory.   

• The two suspects had solicited a bribe of Rs. 540 million from the businessman but had subsequently reduced the sum of gratification to Rs.125 mn