S.M. Chandrasena

S.M. Chandrasena has been the subject of several legal and corruption-related controversies during his political career. On July 4, 2025, he was arrested by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption regarding the alleged misappropriation of Rs. 25 million in seed corn intended for farmers, which he reportedly distributed to political allies to influence the 2015 presidential election. He was remanded until August 1, 2025, when the Colombo Chief Magistrate’s Court granted him bail set at Rs. 50,000 cash and two sureties of Rs. 5 million each, alongside an overseas travel ban. Additionally, in 2007, he faced investigations regarding alleged fraud involving Mawilaru compensation funds. In 2016, his hotel was found to be obtaining electricity illegally; a construction supervisor took responsibility and was fined Rs. 10,000. Most recently, it was reported that he failed to pay interest on a 2001 loan of Rs. 1.275 million taken for Janatha Lanka Chilli Marketing Limited, with the government seeking recovery of Rs. 1,975,233 in unpaid interest. His wife, Shanthini Chandrasena, was convicted of corruption in 2025 in a separate case involving fuel vouchers.