Fisheries official in bribery net
Sandasen Marasinghe
COLOMBO: A bribery case has been filed against a Fisheries
Inspector in the Pothuvil Division for soliciting an inducement from a
fisherman to grant him tsunami aid. According to the charges, Fisheries
Inspector Ibrahim Uluma Lebbe accepted Rs. 30,000 from the fisherman to
grant him a fishing boat, engine and fishing nets.
The Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption
filed the case before the Colombo High Court against I. U. Lebbe of
Hospital Road, Pothuvil for demanding Rs. 50,000 and accepting Rs.
30,000 from Ponnathurei Rajanadan between July and December 2005, as a
gratification to grant him with a fishing boat, boat engine and fishing
nets.Rajanadan, 39, in a statement to the Bribery Commission said he
lost his boat, engine and nets in the tsunami. He was not given anything
except for the Rs. 5,000 given to all affected.
He made a complaint at the Pothuvil Police about his loss of fishing
property. He later learnt about the tsunami donations of boats and
engines and inquired from the Fisheries Inspector at the Pothuvil
Division. Fisheries Inspector informed that they had still not received
the goods and asked for Rs. 1,000 to issue the card that was given to
those who lost fishing boats and engines. Rajanadan gave the Rs. 1,000. |