The Colombo Magistrate’s Court on Monday granted bail to former Skills Development and Vocational Training Minister Piyasena Gamage, who was arrested by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) over alleged misuse of ministerial authority.
Chief Magistrate Asanga S. Bodaragama released Gamage on two personal bail bonds of Rs. 2 million each, while imposing a foreign travel ban and warning him against influencing witnesses. The case has been adjourned until August 21, with the commission directed to report on the investigation’s progress at the next hearing.
CIABOC officials told the court that in 2015, while serving as minister, Gamage recruited 134 minor employees to the Department of Technical Education and Training exclusively from the Galle District, bypassing approved procurement and selection procedures. Investigators found the recruits were political supporters of the minister.
The commission further alleged that Gamage intervened to cancel a disciplinary transfer of N. Yogarajah, then director of the Jaffna Technical College, granting him undue advantage. Prosecutors argued the actions amounted to corruption through abuse of power.
Gamage joins a growing roster of former officials facing active CIABOC proceedings, alongside the weapons-cache case against former MP Chandana Kathriarachchi and asset-declaration proceedings against former president Mahinda Rajapaksa. The Galle District recruitment case is the first CIABOC prosecution focused on political patronage in a vocational training body, signalling a widening of the accountability drive beyond headline political figures.
