A Bribery Commission raid at the Motor Traffic Department on Friday resulted in the detection of Rs. 4.1 million in cash in the office of a deputy commissioner, believed to be bundled for distribution among selected staff later in the day as part of collections from private parties during the week.

Investigators from the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) had found the cash packed in packets and

ready for distribution when they raided the premises armed with a search warrant.

Further investigations have found that the cash amounted to bribes collected from people who had visited the different divisions of the DMT from Monday to Friday of that week, sources added.

Bribery Commission officials who visited the DMT with the search warrant had come upon the cash stacked in a cupboard in the office room of one of the deputy commissioners.

The key to the cupboard, however, had been in the hands of an office assistant, who was unable to provide a satisfactory explanation of why he had the key to a cupboard with so much money in his possession.

CIABOC officials had arrested the deputy commissioner, a management assistant and the office assistant once they uncovered that the cash had been collected to be distributed among DMT employees on Friday.

The three suspects, identified as Deputy Commissioner Dilantha Nuwan Kumara, Pradeep Nishantha and D. Samantha Perera, were produced before Colombo Chief Magistrate Thanuja Lakmali Jayatunga and remanded till June 6.

(sundaytimes.lk)

(Except for the headline, this story, originally published by sundaytimes.lk has not been edited by SLM staff)