Forged land deed Why did you refer investigation to AG without recording statements from Wasantha Samarasinghe, and others? asks Magistrate

• Minister Samarasinghe says lease granted on decision by Executive Committee of the National Workers’  Institute in 2020

By Dilanga Gomes   

When the case in connection with the alleged lease on a forged deed of a land building for Rs.3.6 million was taken up before Mount Lavinia Magistrate Chaturika De Silva yesterday, the magistrate questioned the Colombo Fraud Investigation Bureau as to why it submitted the investigation report to the Attorney General before recording the statements from Minister Wasantha Samarasinghe, Deputy Minister of Labour Mahinda Jayasinghe and Mayor of Kaduwela Ranjan Jayalal.   

However, investigation officials did not provide an explanation.   

The Fraud Investigation Bureau submitted the statements made by Minister Wasantha Samarasinghe, Deputy Minister Mahinda Jayasinghe and Mayor of Kaduwela Ranjan Jayalal on August 14.   

The investigation officials told court that Minister Wasantha Samarasinghe had stated that he granted the lease on a decision taken by the Executive Committee of the National Workers’ Institute in 2020.   

President’s Counsel Maitree Gunaratne, watching the interests of the aggrieved party, submitted that Minister Wasantha Samarasinghe should not have granted the lease, overlooking the senior officials of the National Workers’ Institute who had the power to do so.   

He pointed out that the court order to arrest the suspects involved in the incident had been ignored and that the Fraud Investigation Bureau had sought the instructions of the Attorney General to mislead the court.   

The President’s Counsel opined that the transfer of the magistrate could have been an outcome of the case.   

However, the magistrate who refused it said that her transfer was on a decision of the Judicial Service Commission.   

The case was postponed to September 26.