Alleged phosphate export bribe - CIABOC arrest on 12 October 2026
Current status of the Alleged phosphate export bribe - CIABOC arrest on 12 October 2026
On 12 October 2026 the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) arrested Chamara Sampath Dassanayake, a former minister and Member of Parliament, after he gave a statement. CIABOC alleges he solicited a Rs. 8.1 million bribe from three selected companies in return for helping them export phosphate without following proper procedures and obtain export licences.
Ada Derana reports he was produced before the Colombo Magistrate's Court. Onlanka reports his former private secretary was also arrested in the same investigation. The allegations have not been tested in court.
What’s happened
Arrested the same day he gave a statement to CIABOC. Neither report found states the court's order (remand, bail or detention) or a next date. An arrest is not a charge or a finding of guilt. This is separate from his earlier Uva Provincial Council matters.
- Court
- Colombo Magistrate's Court
- Next hearing / due
- Next hearing not confirmed
Sources (2)
Alleged phosphate export bribe - CIABOC arrest on 12 October 2026 timeline
- 12 October 2026
Arrested
CIABOC arrested Chamara Sampath Dassanayake on 12 October 2026 after more than three hours of questioning following a statement at the Commission, over an alleged Rs. 8.1 million bribe from three companies linked to phosphate exports. He was produced before the Colombo Magistrate's Court; the court's order was not reported.
Court: Colombo Magistrate's Court
Sources (2)