Two Nawinna Ayurvedic Dept. officials nabbed for accepting bribe

Two officials attached to the Department of Ayurveda in Nawinna were nabbed by Bribery Commission sleuths yesterday in the act of soliciting a sum of Rs.50, 000 from an Ayurvedic medicinal producer.

An Assistant Legal Officer at the Department of Ayurveda and another official (member of Sutra Kamituwa) were caught red-handed as they were accepting the bribe at the former’s office last afternoon.

Director Bribery Commission Investigation Division SSP Priyantha Chandrasiri told Daily Mirror that these officials had taken the money from an Ayurvedic medicinal products manufacturer promising to renew his manufacturing permit.

An Ayurvedic products manufacturer from Danowita had lodged a complaint with the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption against the said officials a few days ago.

He had stated that when he had gone to get his permit renewed for the year 2018, the said officials had asked for a sum of Rs.300, 000 to get the process expedited.

The complainant had managed to negotiate with them to get the sum reduced to Rs.250, 000 and was asked to make an advance payment of Rs.50, 000 yesterday.

The issuing of permits to Ayurvedic product manufacturers and their renewals had previously been handled by the Ministry of Health, Nutrition and Indigenous Medicine.

However, the responsibility to issue permits had been vested with the Department of Ayurveda from January this year, SSP Chandrasiri said.

The two accused were to be produced in the Colombo Chief Magistrate’s Court today (15). (Kurulu Koojana Kariyakarawana)