Two Trincomalee Fire officers arrested over bribe for safety certificate

Two officers from the Fire and Emergency Rescue Division of the Trincomalee Municipal Council were arrested for allegedly accepting a Rs. 20,000 bribe in connection with issuing a fire safety certificate for a tourist restaurant in Kantale.

The arrests were made following a complaint by a resident of the Kantale area regarding bribery related to the issuance of the fire safety certificate for the year 2026 for a tourist restaurant located in the center of Kantale town.

According to the complaint, the two officers had initially demanded a bribe of Rs. 40,000 to issue the certificate. The amount was later reduced to Rs. 35,000. It was alleged that Rs. 10,000 of the total was deposited into a bank account, while the remaining Rs. 25,000 was to be paid in cash.

From the cash amount, Rs. 20,000 was demanded and accepted as a bribe, according to the allegations.

Based on these claims of soliciting and accepting a bribe, as well as aiding and abetting the offence, officers of the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) arrested a Divisional Fire Officer who served as the Officer-in-Charge and a Firefighter attached to the Fire and Emergency Rescue Division of the Trincomalee Municipal Council.

The suspects were arrested on March 11, 2026, at approximately 10:02 AM and 10:07 AM at the Trincomalee Municipal Council and the Trincomalee Fire and Emergency Rescue Division.

After being produced before the Trincomalee Magistrate’s Court, the two suspects were remanded in custody until March 20, 2026.