A government officer accused of soliciting a bribe from a woman whose home was destroyed by Cyclone Ditwah has been further remanded until June 9, after being produced before the Colombo Chief Magistrate’s Court.
The suspect, an officer attached to the Disaster Relief Services unit at the Monaragala Divisional Secretariat, appeared before Chief Magistrate Asanga S. Bodaragama, who ordered his continued remand as investigations proceed.
According to submissions by investigators, the officer was arrested over allegations that he demanded Rs. 100,000 from the woman in return for facilitating compensation for her destroyed house. Representing the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC), an officer told court that the government had already granted the complainant Rs. 2 million as compensation for the damaged residence, and that the bribe was sought in exchange for expediting the related administrative procedures.
CIABOC said the inquiry was not yet complete and that statements from several more individuals still had to be recorded. Counsel for the suspect challenged the allegations, claiming the complaint was fabricated — arguing the complainant had expected Rs. 5 million in compensation and lodged a false complaint out of dissatisfaction when she did not receive it. The Chief Magistrate directed CIABOC to expedite the investigation and submit a report detailing the suspect’s official duties at the next hearing.
The case marks an escalation from administrative action taken earlier this month, when the Department of Government Information confirmed the Disaster Relief Services Officer had been suspended and a Grama Niladhari implicated in the same allegations was transferred. Monaragala was among the districts worst hit by the November 2025 cyclone, and disaster compensation — now disbursed through a digital payment system — has been a central plank of the recovery effort. The arrest adds to a string of recent CIABOC actions against officials accused of skimming public payments, from a Polonnaruwa revenue office to a Kurunegala deputy mayor.
