S.M. Chandrasena

S.M. Chandrasena, a former Sri Lankan Minister of Special Projects and Deputy Minister of Economic Development, is currently facing legal proceedings regarding the alleged misappropriation of state-funded maize seeds. On July 4, 2025, the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) arrested Chandrasena. He was subsequently indicted in the Colombo High Court on two charges under the Bribery Act. The charges allege that between January 1 and December 31, 2014, he exerted undue influence over Anuradhapura District Secretariat officials to divert 36,000 kilograms of government-imported seed maize—valued at Rs. 25 million and intended for low-income farmers—to his political supporters to secure electoral advantage. Following his indictment, the High Court released him on a cash bail of Rs. 50,000 and two surety bails of Rs. 1 million each, with hearings scheduled to proceed. Additionally, his wife, Shanthini Chandrasena, and his brother, former North Central Province Chief Minister S.M. Ranjith, were sentenced to 16 years of rigorous imprisonment in April 2025 for separate corruption and misappropriation charges involving state fuel and vehicle resources.