Disaster Relief Officer arrested, remanded in bribery case

A suspended Disaster Relief Services Officer attached to the Monaragala Divisional Secretariat was arrested by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) over allegedly accepting a Rs. 100,000 bribe from government compensation money given for a house damaged by Cyclone Ditwah.

The suspect was identified as Weerasinghe Rajendra Sumith Weerasinghe, who had served as a Disaster Relief Services Officer at the Monaragala Divisional Secretariat.

According to CIABOC, investigators arrested the suspect at around 9:00 AM on May 21, 2026, at his residence.

The arrest was made over allegations that the suspect had demanded and accepted Rs. 100,000 as a commission from compensation funds amounting to Rs. 2,000,000 that had been granted by the government to the complainant for a house damaged by Cyclone Ditwah.

After being produced before the Monaragala Magistrate’s Court, the suspect was remanded in custody.