Two suspects granted bail in Hapugastenna Plantation land forgery case

By Bhagya Silva

Colombo, Jan. 21 (Daily Mirror) - A female attorney and a director of a private company, who were arrested in connection with an alleged incident of preparing forged deeds relating to a five-acre land belonging to the Hapugastenna Plantation Company that had been leased to a private company on a 53-year lease basis, were released on bail by Colombo Chief Magistrate Asanga S. Bodaragama today.

The Magistrate ordered that the suspects be released on two sureties of Rs. 5 million each.

The court further imposed a foreign travel ban on the suspects and directed them to surrender their passports to court. They were also strictly warned not to interfere with or influence witnesses connected to the investigation.

Presenting facts before court, officers of the Financial Crimes Investigation Division stated that a five-acre land belonging to the Hapugastenna Plantation Company, located in the Ratnapura area, had been leased to a private company on a 53 year lease basis through a Gazette notification.

Investigators informed court that by exploiting a particular wording contained in the said Gazette notification, the Executive Director of the private company had taken steps to unlawfully claim ownership of the land and the building situated on it.

It was further alleged that the director, with the assistance of the attorney, had prepared a forged deed relating to the land and carried out the fraudulent transaction. 

The investigating officers made these submissions while elaborating further on the circumstances of the incident.