Colombo High Court Judge Mahesh Weeraman on Friday (1) directed that the case filed against former Minister Rohitha Bogollagama be called on October 30 to fix a trial date to proceed in his absence.
Bogollagama is accused of committing an offence under the Bribery Act by allegedly influencing the then Chairman of the Board of Investment (BOI) to approve the payment of over Rs. 1.5 million, contrary to Treasury regulations, for hotel and exhibition expenses incurred during his participation in an investment promotion event held in London in 2006, organised by the BOI.
The Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC), which is leading the prosecution, informed the court that the accused had previously served as a diplomat and was currently residing abroad.
Therefore, the Commission requested that the court fix a date to hear the case in his absence.
The case was initially filed before the Colombo High Court on 27 February 2020, following an investigation by CIABOC based on a complaint against Bogollagama, who had also served as Governor of the Eastern Province.
By AJA Abeynayake 
