Srilanka, March 4 -- A staff officer of the Embilipitiya Pradeshiya Sabha, Y. M. P. Bandara, was arrested on Sunday (02) by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) for allegedly misappropriating Rs. 66 million meant for road and stadium construction projects that were never carried out.

The fraud involved 33 road and stadium projects supposedly conducted in 2016 and 2017 under the tenure of Athula Kumara Rahubaddha, who was the Sabaragamuwa Provincial Minister of Road Development, Rural Infrastructure, Tourism Development, Provincial Road Maintenance, Sports Development, and Youth Affairs at the time.

Disciplinary action had previously been taken against five individuals for falsifying measurement sheets to claim the projects were ...