Director held for criminal breach of trust

by Jayamapathy Jayasinghe

The Director of the Government Animal Produce Department of the North Central Province, a veterinary surgeon by profession was arrested by the Investigating Unit on a complaint of committing Criminal Breach of Trust last week. The suspect was produced before court and remanded till investigations are completed, sources said.

The director is alleged to have drawn Rs. 200,000 by issuing cheques from time to time to effect repairs to an office vehicle at a local garage in Anuradhapura during the past five years.

The vehicle in question had been in the garage since 1998 but was not removed until the Investigating officials took it to court last week. Subsequently the director had obtained bogus receipts from another garage in Anuradhapura stating that the vehicle was repaired there. The director himself had used his official capacity to authorise the cheques.

The Director General of the Investigating Unit, Tilak Iddamalgoda had referred the matter to Chief Inspector Ruwan Gunesekera for investigation.

In a similar incident two years ago the Director of the Government Animal Produce at Sabaragamuwa, a veterinary surgeon was detected by the Investigating Unit officials for misappropriating nearly Rs 100,000 for repairing the engine of a Pajero vehicle.

The director in question had purchased a different engine for Rs. 90,000 and had embossed the original serial number of the engine on it. Meanwhile the original engine from the Pajero vehicle was removed to Kegalle where the driver was residing.