Former Minister Ravi Karunanayake continues to evade summons issued by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC), failing to appear despite being called on multiple occasions.
The investigation pertains to the unauthorized recruitment of five contract employees to the National Lotteries Board (NLB) outside established protocols, who were subsequently attached to Karunanayake’s personal staff.
The timeline of summonses and non-appearances includes:
July 16: Summoned for the first time, but Karunanayake failed to attend.
July 30: Summoned for a second time, which he avoided citing his daughter’s wedding.
August 28: Summoned for a third time, but failed to appear claiming his lawyer was unavailable.
Following these absences, the Bribery Commission informed him to appear today (August 29), warning that failure to comply will result in immediate legal action against him.
In connection with the same investigation, former National Lotteries Board Chairperson Sharmila Perera was previously arrested and released on two personal bails of Rs. 1 million each by Colombo Chief Magistrate Asanga S. Bodaragama on June 30.
