National Hospital officials remanded over Rs. 50,000 bribery allegation

By Bhagya Silva

Colombo, Feb. 13 (Daily Mirror) - An Acting Minor Staff Supervisor of the National Hospital in Colombo and a Health Labourer attached to the same division were ordered to be remanded till February 24 by Colombo Chief Magistrate Asanga S. Bodaragama in connection with an alleged bribery incident involving Rs. 50,000.

The suspects, Dissanayake Mudiyanselage Ranjith Sumedha, who was serving as the Acting Minor Staff Supervisor of the National Hospital in Colombo and Malinda Bandujeewa, as a Health Labourer attached to the Minor Staff Division.

Investigating officers informed court that the arrests were made following a complaint lodged with the Bribery Commission by Ajith Suranga Kaluarachchi, who had been suspended from service.

The Bribery Commission further informed court that the suspects had allegedly accepted a bribe of Rs. 50,000 from the complainant in order to facilitate the reinstatement of his appointment as a Health Labourer by arranging for officials of the Ministry of Health to reprocess the relevant documents.

Court was also informed that the suspects had allegedly demanded a total sum of Rs. 100,000, of which Rs. 50,000 had been paid earlier by cheque.

The Commission stated that the suspects were arrested through a decoy operation at the time they were accepting the remaining Rs. 50,000.