Carrom board case: Pre-trial date set for Mahindananda and Nalin

A Colombo High Court judge has set July 23 for a pre-trial conference in a case involving former ministers Mahindananda Aluthgamage and Nalin Fernando. They stand accused of causing a loss of approximately 40 million rupees to the state through the import of carrom and dam boards.

The charges stem from the alleged distribution of these boards to sports associations for political objectives during the 2015 presidential election period. The prosecution claims the boards were imported via the state-owned Sathosa institution, leading to a significant financial loss for the government.

In addition to Aluthgamage, the former Minister of Sports, and Fernando, the former Minister of Trade and Sathosa Chairman, the case also names former Ministry of Sports Secretary Major General (Retired) Nand Mallawaarachchi as a defendant. The indictment, filed under the Public Property Act, details four charges against the accused.

Prosecutors intend to present 42 witnesses and 11 exhibits to prove the charges. The court was informed that between October 1 and December 31, 2014, 14,000 carrom boards and 14,000 dam boards, valued at 39,061,290 rupees, were imported for Sathosa. These were allegedly distributed among the election offices of the then-presidential candidate Mahinda Rajapaksa, resulting in a loss exceeding 39 million rupees to the state.

During the court proceedings, Aluthgamage and Fernando were presented by prison officials. The judge ordered the prison authorities to produce the defendants in court on July 23 for the pre-trial conference.