‘I’m first to be arrested under new Anti-Corruption Act’ – MP Chamara Sampath
Badulla District MP Chamara Sampath Dassanayake, who was granted bail over a bribery case today, says he is the first to be arrested under the newly introduced Anti-Corruption Act.
Addressing Parliament today, MP Dassanayake said he was among those who voted in favour of the Act while in the ruling party of the previous government.
“I voted for the act when I was on that side. I am the first person to have cases filed under the new Act. Three cases have been separately filed against me. A complaint was filed in 2016. I recorded a statement in 2019, during which I was informed there was no case. But on 27 March 2025, while I was recording a statement, news alerts were sent out saying I had been arrested. I myself did not know I was arrested while giving a statement,” he said.
MP Dassanayake further said that despite being granted bail in two cases, attempts were made to remand him over one case, adding that while being remanded in Badulla, he was granted bail in Colombo.“I advise the authorities to conduct the pending 4000 cases also in a similar manner to how my cases have been handled in the past few days,” he added.
The Badulla District MP was granted bail by the Colombo Magistrate’s Court today in connection with a bribery case filed by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC).However, he will continue to remain in remand custody until April 21 over a separate case filed by the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) in Badulla.
