Former Army Chief alleges CID targeting him over 2014 incident

• The petitioner states that the equipment was purchased following written instructions from a coordinating secretary to the Minister of Sports

By Lakmal Sooriyagoda

Former Chief of Staff of the Sri Lanka Army, (Rtd) Major General Nanda Mallawaarachchi, has filed an anticipatory bail application before the Colombo Chief Magistrate’s Court to pre-empt the possibility of his arrest by the CID in connection with an incident related to the Ministry of Sports’ procurement of sports equipment in 2014.   
In his application, Major General Nanda Mallawaarachchi informed the Court that the CID is attempting to arrest him over the procurement of sports equipment while he was serving as the Secretary to the Ministry of Sports in 2014.    

The petitioner stated that the equipment was purchased following written instructions from a coordinating secretary to the Minister of Sports. He further noted that he has already provided evidence as a prosecution witness in a corruption case filed by the Bribery Commission at the Colombo Permanent High Court Trial-at-Bar (HC/PTB/02/02/2019).

The petitioner also claimed that, on January 24, 28, and 30, 2025, officers from the respondent party (CID) visited his residence in Battaramulla and behaved in a manner suggestive of conducting a raid. When the application was taken up before Colombo Chief Magistrate Thanuja Lakmali, the court issued notices to the Officer-in- Charge (OIC) of the CID to appear in court on February 14. President’s Counsel Saliya Pieris, along with Sanjaya Marambe, Geeth Karunarathna, and Pasan Karunarathna, appeared on behalf of the petitioner.

• zzHe stated that he has already provided evidence as a prosecution witness in a corruption case