June 30, Colombo (LNW): Former Cabinet Minister Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena and one-time Director General of the Board of Investment (BOI), Jayantha Edirisinghe, appeared before the Colombo High Court today (30) as they faced formal indictments over alleged financial misconduct linked to state resources.
The legal action, initiated by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC), centres on accusations that the pair were responsible for a financial loss exceeding Rs. 1.7 million to the state.
The case pertains to the use of BOI funds for a series of newspaper advertisements that were published to mark the second anniversary of the swearing-in of then President Mahinda Rajapaksa in 2014.
The charges were read out before High Court Judge Pradeep Abeyratne during a scheduled hearing. Prosecutors contend that the promotional material had no direct bearing on the official mandate of the BOI and was instead a politically motivated expenditure, raising questions about the misuse of public funds for partisan purposes.
Both defendants were granted bail following the submission of indictments. Conditions of their release include reporting to relevant authorities and a restriction on foreign travel pending further proceedings.
