Colombo Chief Magistrate Asanga S. Bodaragama today (28) directed the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) to conclude their investigations and present a progress report regarding the corruption case against former SriLankan Airlines Chairman Nishantha Wickramasinghe. The case has been scheduled to be called again on December 08.
The Chief Magistrate issued this order after officials from the Bribery Commission requested additional time from the court to conclude the ongoing investigations into the matter and submit their final report.
The suspect faces charges over causing a financial loss of USD 4,512 to the government by altering the flight route of UL-319, which was scheduled to fly from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to Katunayake on January 22, 2014. He is also accused of causing a further loss of USD 19,160 to the state by dispatching 75 passengers—who had arrived from the Maldives en route to France—on flight UL-563 on January 26, 2014.
In addition, Nishantha Wickramasinghe faces another charge of misappropriating Rs. 1,250,000 in state funds for a campaign rally of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa held at the 18th Mile Post Grounds in Katunayake on December 19, 2014.
