The Sunday Times has reported that the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) is preparing to record a statement from Lalith Weeratunga, who served as Secretary to the President during the Mahinda Rajapaksa administration.
The statement is to be recorded in connection with allegations that a bus, imported on a duty-free basis for the Ministry of Sports, was subsequently provided to Carlton Pre-School.
It has also been revealed that a former Additional Secretary to the Presidential Secretariat is expected to be questioned over the matter.
This inquiry forms part of a broader CID investigation into the ‘Siriliya’ project. The CID had previously submitted information to the Maligakanda Magistrate’s Court regarding seven irregularities linked to the Siriliya account. The court had directed the CID to seek the Attorney General’s advice on the matter.
Subsequently, Additional Solicitor General Dileepa Peiris informed the CID that the available evidence was insufficient to pursue criminal charges in six of the seven cases, leading to the case file being set aside.
However, new evidence has now surfaced relating to the bus transfer, prompting the CID to present fresh facts to the court and reopen the investigation. According to reports, investigators have determined that the transfer of the bus resulted in a financial loss to the government.
Following these developments, the CID has been instructed to summon Lalith Weeratunga and the former Additional Secretary to obtain their statements regarding the handover of the bus.
