Sri Lankan racing driver Dilantha Malagamuwa has publicly rejected allegations tying him to an alleged land fraud at Barnes Place, Colombo 7, calling the accusations false and baseless.

In a social media statement headed “Sudu Minissu”, Malagamuwa said he was calmly observing the allegations and was confident the judicial process would establish the truth, the Daily Mirror reported.

Citing more than four decades in motor racing, he said he had made immense sacrifices for the sport and for his country, and urged those making the allegations to wait for the courts: “Keep your eyes fixed on the judgment of the Goddess of Justice.” He said he would be guided by the Buddhist teaching of remaining unaffected by the Eight Worldly Conditions while the legal process runs.

What the CID alleges

The statement responds to a Criminal Investigation Department inquiry into an alleged forged-deed transaction over a 43-perch property at Barnes Place, reportedly worth more than Rs. 2.5 billion and allegedly sold for Rs. 1 billion.

The CID told court that preliminary investigations indicated three individuals had shared money from the transaction, and that Malagamuwa had allegedly received 14 luxury vehicles instead of cash.

None of the allegations has been established in court.

Where the case stands procedurally

The CID sought overseas travel bans on Malagamuwa and three others. Colombo Additional Magistrate Lahiru Silva rejected the request at that stage, directing investigators first to take steps to name the four as suspects before seeking travel restrictions.

That sequencing matters: on the record as reported, Malagamuwa is not yet a named suspect. The distinction is not merely formal — in Sri Lankan practice a magistrate will decline to entertain submissions on behalf of, or restrictions against, a person an investigation has not yet named.

The CID investigation continues in parallel with the FCID’s inquiry into the 2006 MiG aircraft procurement deal, another major economic-crimes investigation underway.

Not reported

The Daily Mirror does not name the three other individuals, identify the registered owner or the buyer of the Barnes Place property, or say when the alleged transaction took place. It does not state what became of the 14 vehicles, whether they have been traced or seized, or what the CID’s evidence for that claim is.

Nor does it give a next court date, say whether the CID has since named anyone a suspect as the Magistrate directed, or record any response from the department to Malagamuwa’s statement. No other verified newsroom had filed on the denial at the time of writing; the earlier travel-ban ruling was carried by aggregator sites, which do not count towards this article’s sourcing.

Sources: Daily Mirror.