Shan Wijayalal Arrested in Corruption Probe

COLOMBO (News 1st); Former Southern Province Chief Minister Shan Wijayalal De Silva has been arrested by officials of the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption in connection with an ongoing investigation into multiple corruption-related charges.

According to the Commission, the arrest was made as part of a probe into several allegations, including a controversial procurement decision in 2019 involving the Southern Development Authority. Investigations have revealed that a contract to purchase 16,361 chairs was awarded to a particular institution outside of the approved procurement process, resulting in an estimated loss of Rs. 16.5 million to the government.

The Commission further stated that the chairs in question had been obtained using funds allocated to Provincial Council members, with the intention of distributing them to voluntary organizations.