PCOI winds up with 30 cases completed
Corruption, mismanagement in State institutions
The Presidential Commission of Inquiry (PCOI) probing corruption of the current administration has completed 30 cases, sources said.
An official from the commission said it received a total of 1,346 complaints and that the police unit attached to the commission completed the initial inquiry into 136 of them.
“Out of 136 inquires, the commission has started recording evidence on 40 cases. However, 10 cases out of them cannot move ahead with the commission,” he said.
President Maithripala Sirisena appointed the PCOI to investigate into the allegations of corruption and mismanagement taken place in State institutions from January 15, 2015 to December 31, 2018.
On September 27 this year, the commission has handed over its first volume of the report to the President. It has received extensions on three occasions. Retired Supreme Court Justice Upali Abeyrathne chaired the commission while former High Court Judge Kusala Sarojini Weerawardena, former Auditor General Pasdunkorale Arachchige Premathilake, former Ministry Secretary Lalith R. de Silva and former Deputy Inspector General of Police M.K.D. Vijaya Amarasinghe were appointed as members.
The commission had recorded evidence on matters related to storing paddy at Mattala International Airport, misuse of government funds on renting out DPJ building to the Agriculture Ministry, malpractices during the distribution of textbooks, tabs and school uniform vouchers for students and financial fraud related to Mahapola and Suraksha insurance policy. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and other line ministers who handled the subjected ministries testified before the commission on several occasions and provided evidence on certain matters.
The commission also inquired matters related to financial fraud taken place during the import of high-yielding milch cows in 2015 and the import of Russian controversial oncology medicine ‘Herticad’ to treat patients with breast cancer.
“Accepting complaints to PCOI stopped on March 19. Out of the total complaints received, almost 300 of them were related to misappropriation in State institutions,” the officer told .