A Grama Niladhari Officer, attached to the Jaffna Divisional Secretariat, was arrested yesterday on charges of soliciting a bribe, according to the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC).
The officer, whose identity has not been disclosed, is accused of demanding a 128GB pen drive, worth Rs. 4,000, as a bribe in exchange for signing an application submitted by a local resident. The application sought permission to cut and remove three coconut trees from a private land.
CIABOC officials conducted the arrest at around 11.27 am yesterday at the officer’s office, following a tip-off about the bribery attempt. The arrest was made in the presence of authorities, and the suspect is expected to be produced before the Jaffna Magistrate’s Court for further legal proceedings.