Fertiliser Fraud: Former Agriculture Ministry official remanded until May 5, 2025

Former Additional Secretary to the State Ministry of Agriculture, Mahesh Gammanpila, has been ordered to be remanded until May 5, 2025, by the Colombo Magistrate’s Court.

Gammanpila was arrested by the Commission to Investigate Allegations against Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) in connection with a financial fraud involving the importation of substandard organic fertiliser from the Chinese company Qingdao Seawin Biotech in 2021.

The arrest was made after investigations revealed that Gammanpila had instructed the re-opening of Letters of Credit (LCs) that had previously been suspended. This action led to the government making a payment of about USD 6.9 million, which was 75% of the value of the first shipment of the substandard fertiliser, causing a major loss to the state.

After his arrest, Gammanpila was produced before the Colombo Magistrate’s Court, where the decision to remand him was made.