RADA director suffers from mental distress: Lawyer

5 August 2015 06:12 am

The counsel appearing for Reconstruction and Development Agency’s (RADA) former Finance and Administration Director Dr. Jayantha Samarasinghe today informed the Colombo Fort Magistrate that his client was suffering from mental distress and receiving treatment at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) in Angoda.

Counsel Anil De Silva informed Magistrate Priyantha Liyanage that the Police Special Investigation Unit (SIU) investigations and interrogations of his client in relation with the alleged fraud at RADA when the key suspects were at large, had led to his clients mental condition.

Dr. Samarsinghe was arrested and remanded on charges of having aided and abetted the commissioning of the alleged fraud and approving vouchers issued to contractors for the purpose of constructing houses for tsunami-affected people in the North and East through the RADA.

Magistrate Liyanage today called for a forensic psychiatric report from the NIMH and further remanded Dr. Samarasinghe till August 12. (Lakmal Sooriyagoda)