Amith Weerasinghe, former leader of the Sinhala nationalist Mahason Balakaya movement, was taken into custody by Teldeniya Police on Sunday evening over allegations of large-scale financial fraud involving multiple complainants.
Police said the suspect was accused of defrauding several individuals of substantial sums of money after allegedly promising to construct cabanas in the Pallekele and Ella areas, which were subsequently not delivered.
Weerasinghe has denied any wrongdoing.
Investigators noted that the Managing Director of a company owned by Weerasinghe had earlier been arrested in connection with the same case, indicating that the inquiry has expanded beyond the corporate vehicle to the founder.
Police said they had received two formal complaints against the suspect and were making arrangements to produce him before court.
Weerasinghe was a central figure in the 2018 Digana communal violence prosecution. His latest arrest is on financial fraud charges unrelated to the group’s ideological activities and adds to a recent string of high-profile detentions on white-collar accusations including the CIABOC’s Rs. 3.1 billion antigen test import fraud probe announced last week.
Update (May 18): Weerasinghe and his wife were produced before the Teldeniya Magistrate’s Court and remanded until May 25, NewsFirst reported. The court also imposed a travel ban on both suspects. Police told the court that investigations had revealed the couple obtained advance payments of between Rs. 4 million and Rs. 5 million per cabana from a large number of complainants who lodged complaints with Teldeniya Police.
Update (May 19): The Island reported that Magistrate Kamal Sanjaya Jayatilake denied bail after Teldeniya Police listed serious charges of financial fraud, criminal breach of trust and misappropriation of funds under the pretext of the cabana project. The article identified Weerasinghe as Leader of the Abhinava Nihawal Peramuna party. Defence lawyers told the court the suspect was willing to repay the funds, but the magistrate sided with the prosecution. The Managing Director of the suspect’s institution was also remanded until May 25 after initial evidence review. The investigation is led by Teldeniya Police Headquarters Chief Inspector D.M. Chandrapala and Crimes Division OIC Sub-Inspector Sampath, under the direct supervision of SSP Mahesh Amarasinghe and SP I Jayantha Samarakoon.
Sources: The Island — Ex-leader of Mahason Balakaya arrested over cabana fraud, NewsFirst — Mahason Balakaya Leader and Wife Remanded in Cabana Project Scam Case, The Island — Amith Weerasinghe remanded till May 25.
