Bribes by cheque - Sri Lanka's former excise chief arrested - Tamil Guardian

The Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption. File photograph

Sri Lanka’s Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) has arrested a retired deputy excise commissioner and an excise officer over allegations of accepting bribes through cheques issued by a licensed company.

The arrests took place on Wednesday (4 November) at around 9.05am and 9.15am respectively, according to reports citing the commission.

The suspects have been identified as Channa Jayanath Alwis Weerakkody, a retired deputy excise commissioner, and Polgampalage Sampath Ranasinghe, an officer attached to the Matara Excise Station.

Weerakkody is accused of accepting cheques drawn from the accounts of a legally licensed company under his supervision while serving as Excise Superintendent of Kalutara and Acting Excise Superintendent (Distilleries) in Aluthgama.

Ranasinghe is alleged to have accepted the same cheques as bribes despite having no official authority to receive such payments in his capacity as an excise officer attached to the company's distillery.

Both suspects are due to be produced before the Colombo Chief Magistrate's Court.

The arrests come amid previous bribery allegations involving officials of Sri Lanka's Excise Department. In December 2025, CIABOC arrested an excise sergeant attached to its Narcotics Bureau over allegations of soliciting a Rs 2 million bribe from a pharmaceutical manufacturer in exchange for refraining from legal action over suspected illegal cannabis processing at the facility.

In May 2025, the Sri Lanka Liquor Licensees' Association also accused certain Excise officials of demanding bribes from liquor licence holders. The association said complaints had been submitted to the Excise Commissioner General, CIABOC and the Criminal Investigation Department.

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