A Public Health Inspector (PHI) was arrested on Friday for allegedly soliciting and accepting a bribe of Rs. 200,000 from a businessman to renew the business licence of an eatery, according to Bribery Commission sources. The PHI of the Medical Officer of Health Office in Galewela, was accused of demanding the bribe from a businessman in the Ibbaguwas area.
He allegedly sought the payment to inspect the eatery and issue a letter of recommendation to the Galewela Pradeshiya Sabha to facilitate the renewal of the business licence for 2025.
The eatery is jointly run by the businessman and several partners. The Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption launched an investigation following a complaint about the incident. The PHI was arrested while accepting the bribe in Thalkiriyagama, near a road adjacent to the Sri Buddhi Jayanthi Temple.
The suspect will be produced before the Dambulla Magistrate’s Court tomorrow, the sources said.
