Electrical superintendent gets bribery shock

Sandasen Marasinghe

COLOMBO: Bribery charges against the Wariyapola Electrical Superintendent of Sri Lanka Electricity Board was filed before the Colombo High Court for demanding and accepting an incentive of Rs. 55,000 for supporting a manager of a hotel not to settle a bill in July last year.

The Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption filed charges against Electrical Superintendent of Wariyapola, Pathirajah Mudiyanselage Suresh Pathirajah of Thennekumbura, Kandy for demanding and accepting Rs. 55,000 from D. W. H. Dammika Devakumara.

According to the Charges Pathirajah had demanded the money for supporting Devakumara not to settle the bill for electricity consumed excessively by the institution where he worked.

According to statement made by Devakumara, Manager of Paradise Hotel, Ethawa, Aulegama the Electrical Superintendent of Wariyapola observed that the seals of the electricity metres of his hotel were broken. He said that the hotel would have to settle the bill for excessive electricity consumption.

Devakumara further stated that Pathirajah later demanded Rs. 85000 for supporting him not to settle the bill but he reduced it to 55,000 after Devakumara’s request. Devakumara first settled Rs. 25,000 on August 4. After that he complained to the Bribery Commission and made arrangements to pay Rs. 30,000 on August 11. Thereafter Pathirajah was arrested.