A 34-year-old councillor representing the Olagama division of Kegalle Municipal Council has been remanded until September 9 on allegations of misappropriating over Rs. 26 million in connection with an unexecuted cabana development project.
A municipal councillor from Kegalle has been taken into custody following accusations of financial misconduct involving a substantial sum of money. The 34-year-old NPP-affiliated representative of the Olagama division was arrested by the Colombo Central Crime Investigation Bureau on September 1 at a hotel in the Kegalle–Yattogoda area and subsequently presented before the Kandy Magistrate's Court.
According to the allegations, the councillor obtained Rs. 26 million from a Kandy-based businessman under the premise of developing a cabana project on land near Minuwangamuwa along the Kegalle–Deewela road. The businessman alleged that despite receiving the funds, the project was never constructed and the money was misappropriated instead. Following the complaint lodged with Kegalle Police, the matter was escalated through formal police reports to the relevant courts and eventually came under investigation by the CCIB.
Magistrate Nalaka Weerasinghe, after reviewing the evidence presented, ordered the councillor's remand until September 9, when the case is scheduled to be heard again. The remand decision allows authorities additional time to conduct their investigation into the allegations of fraud and misuse of funds.