PC in bribery net

Sandasen MARASINGHE

An indictment was filed against a Police Constable attached to the Pulasthigama Police Station for accepting a gratification from a person not to take him into custody despite the warrant issued by the Polonnaruwa Magistrate.

The Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption filed indictment before the Colombo High Court against Police Constable B.G. Gunasiri Tudor of Polonnaruwa for demanding Rs. 12,000 from a suspect in Polonnaruwa on December 30, 2008 and accepting it on January 3, 2009.

According to the indictment, Tudor accepted the gratification from Kaluarachchige Piyasumana of Pulasthigama, Polonnaruwa for not taking him into custody on three warrants issued by the Magistrate.

Piyasumana in his statement to the Bribery Commission stated on January 03, 2009 that he used to brew Kasippu since 1990. He had been produced before the Magistrate approximately on 300 occasions since then by several Police stations including the Pulasthigama Police. He had paid nearly Rs 1.5 million as fines for brewing Kasippu.

Piyasumana further said that PC Tudor came to see him on several occasions and accepted money for not taking him to custody on the warrants issued by the Polonnaruwa Magistrate. Later when Tudor asked for Rs. 12,000, he made a complaint to the Bribery Commission.