Government official among suspects arrested for trading free fertiliser, Hiru CIA exposes

Nine suspects, including a government official, were arrested by the Divulapitiya Police for selling a stock of fertiliser to a private institution, which was provided to the government in 2024 as a donation by the World Food Programme to be distributed among local farmers for free.

Following information provided by Hiru CIA that the relevant stock of fertiliser was hidden at the private institution, the police raided the location, and as a result of further investigations, these suspects were arrested along with the lorry used to transport the fertiliser.

The United Nations World Food Programme donated a stock of 55,000 metric tonnes of MOP fertiliser to the government last year in 2024 to be distributed to local farmers free of charge.

Although plans were made to distribute this stock of fertiliser to farmers for free through the Department of Agriculture, Hiru CIA received information that a major portion of this fertiliser stock was pocketed through a fraudulent process involving certain officials of government institutions.

Even though almost every fertiliser sack clearly stated not to misuse this free fertiliser, which also falls under public property, they were secretly brought to a private fertiliser manufacturing location in Marandagahamula, Gampaha.

Based on information provided by Hiru CIA regarding this, officers of the Fertiliser Secretariat and officers of the Divulapitiya Police conducted a sudden raid on the 8th under the instructions of the Director of the Fertiliser Secretariat, Chandana Lokuhewage.

During the raid, officers were astonished, questioning how 350 sacks of this fertiliser, which was meant to be distributed to farmers by the government for free, were at a private institution. Investigations also revealed that a large number of other fertiliser sacks were mixed with other fertilisers at this location.

During further investigations conducted into this, nine suspects, including a fertiliser development officer, a lorry that transported the fertiliser, and its assistant, were arrested by the officers of the Corruption Prevention Unit of the Divulapitiya Police Station. The suspects were subsequently produced before the Minuwangoda Magistrate's Court.

Police stated that further investigations are being conducted based on the statements given by the arrested suspects regarding the fraud that occurred concerning this stock of fertiliser, which was to be distributed to local farmers for free under the United Nations World Food Programme.