A retired Chief Legal Officer of the Ministry of Health has been arrested by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) and remanded until May 5 over the preparation of lease agreements for a building rented by the ministry.
CIABOC officers detained the suspect, identified by NewsFirst as Ahmad Riyasa Ahmad, at around 3.45 pm on Tuesday, April 21, following an investigation into a complaint received by the commission.
According to the commission, the former officer prepared three lease agreements to extend the rental period of a building leased to the Ministry of Health and demanded Rs. 4,134,887 as fees for drafting the documents. The suspect is alleged to have accepted Rs. 2 million of that sum while continuing to pursue the balance.
Investigators further said the suspect encashed a cheque worth Rs. 500,000 issued from a state bank account held in the name of the company that owned the leased premises, as part of the outstanding payment.
The suspect was produced before the Colombo Chief Magistrate’s Court and ordered remanded until May 5, 2026.
The arrest adds to a growing cluster of CIABOC cases currently before the magistracy, including the Mullaitivu hospital Rs. 30,000 bribery case and the ongoing Piyasena Gamage probe.
