CIABOC commences probe against former officials

The Commission to Investigate Bribery and Corruption (CIABOC) has commenced an inquiry against its former Chairman, Commissioners and Director General on Monday.

The inquiry was initiated following a complaint made by lawyer Nagananda Kodituwakku to CIABOC, on 10 March 2016 against its former Chairman D.J.de S. Balapatabendi, ex-Commissioners L.K Wimalachandra and Jayantha Wickramaratne and former Director General Luckshmi Menaka Jayawickrama, all of whom he accuses of being responsible for the abuse of office to frame manifestly unfounded charges against Chief Justice Shirani Bandaranayake before the Chief Magistrates’ Court, Colombo, to grant a favour to former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, enabling him to appoint Mohan Peiris as the Chief Justice.

The complaint made to CIABOC by Kodituwakku was supported by certified copies of three B Reports filed in the Chief Magistrates’ Court on 26 June 2013 by CIABOC against Chief Justice Bandaranayake.

Certified copies of the charge sheets presented to the Chief Justice on 12 July 2013 by the Attorney General, which were signed by the Chief Magistrate, were also made available to CIABOC to support the serious allegation of corruption made against the three former commissioners and President Mahinda Rajapaksa, who is alleged to have abused the office of the Executive President to secure favours for himself.

In the complaint made to CIABOC by Kodituwakku, it is mentioned that when President Rajapaksa was voted out of office by the people at the Presidential Elections on 8 January 2015, the very same CIABOC made an application to the Court and asked permission from the Chief Magistrate to withdraw the unfounded charges levelled against the Chief Justice, which demonstrates the frivolous nature of the charges levelled against the former Chief Justice.

In his evidence, Kodituwakku said that further to the request, the Chief Magistrate exonerated Chief Justice Bandaranayake from all the charges levelled against her and also revoked the order made by the Court impounding her passport.

Presenting the certified copies of the final order made by the Chief Magistrate’s Court dated 19 February 2016, Kodituwakku urged the Corruption Commission to conduct a credible and independent inquiry into his complaint in the name of the people whose sovereign rights were being openly betrayed by corrupt elements occupying the legislative and executive offices of Sri Lanka.