The Colombo High Court yesterday (Jan. 28) rejected the preliminary objections filed by former North Central Province Chief Minister S.M. Ranjith and current Land Minister S.M. Chandrasena’s wife Shanthi Chandrasena seeking their acquittal from the charges filed by the Commission to Investigate Bribery or Corruption regarding a fuel fraud of Rs. 8 million.
That was when the case was taken up before Colombo High Court Judge Aditya Patabendige.
Earlier in the day, lawyers of S.M. Ranjith and Shanthi Chandrasena had filed preliminary objections stating that the court had no jurisdiction to hear the case as the Commission to Investigate Bribery or Corruption had violated the Code of Criminal Procedure in filing the case. Accordingly, they had requested the court to release the accused.
However, the judge rejected the initial objections yesterday and ordered the case to be heard from June 10.
When S.M. Ranjith was the Chief Minister of the North Central Province and his wife Shanthi Chandrasena, the wife of Minister S.M. Chandrasena, was his Private Secretary during the period 2012-2014. The Bribery Commission has filed a case against the private secretary for obtaining fuel worth Rs. 26,80,528.00 and Rs.53,79,623.00 through vouchers. Defendants have also been charged with inciting provincial councilors to release two vehicles in addition to their two cars and a security vehicle as the Chief Minister of the North Central Province.
