Bribery body begins probes even as Cabinet decides to remove its Director General

Investigations have commenced on over 30 complaints received since the Presidential election concluded, the Bribery and Corruption Commission claimed.

Two passports of respondents have been impounded while several more are under consideration. The passport of another individual – a political appointee of the previous government – is set to be impounded while two more individuals are under scrutiny.

According to Bribery Commission Director General G.R. Dharmawardena, preliminary investigations of all complaints received by the Commission – connected to abuse of power and corruption by politicians - on or before last Wednesday has commenced.

“It is as a result that we have impounded two passports,” he said.

However the Commission has faced some setbacks in the investigations. Member of Parliament and new Social Services Deputy Minister Ranjan Ramanayake who filed a complaint naming 38 individuals of the previous government as corrupt is yet to come and give a statement.

“He did not give any details to us when filing the complaint. We wrote to him and asked him to give us a statement so we can record the evidence he has,” Mr. Dharmawardena said.

The Deputy Minister is yet to make his statement.

“The letters were handed over to him at his resi- dence. He has informed me that he would come on Thursday or Friday but has not come,” he said.

According to the Commission, some of the complaints filed by organisations contain evidence given by third parties, which raises questions as to who takes the responsibility for the complaint. The organisations should verify the information given by third parties and other individuals, as the third parties are not filing the action, Mr. Dharmawardena explained.

Without a clear complainant no petition would be entertained. Preliminary investigations on seven complaints filed by the Anti Corruption Front, which brings allegations against more than one individual, would be investigated only after establishing this feature, he said.

The proposed meeting between President Maithripala Sirisena and the officials of the Commission is yet to tak place, Mr. Dharmawardena said.

No communication on the new political mechanism set up under Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has also been made to the Commission, he claimed. The meeting initiated by the President was to discuss the amendments needed to the regulations to conduct the new investigations, he said.

The Commission also faces a lack of resources and is restricted by a lot of red tape, when conducting investigations. Currently the Commission has vacancies for 10 legal officers with experience in prosecution, but despite calling for applications only four suitable candidates are available for recruitment. We also need 30 more police officers to investigate the cases, Mr. Dharmawardena said.

Meanwhile the Cabinet has decided to remove the current Director General of the Commission.

According to Cabinet spokesperson Minister Rajitha Senaratne, only the Director General of the Commission can be removed without an impeachment. The Cabinet has decided to do so due to loss of confidence in his ability to conduct investigations impartially.

However Mr. Dharmawardena went on the defensive and said the Cabinet is being unfair by him as there is no clear evidence to prove that he has not conducted his duties impartially.

“The Cabinet doesn’t have the authority to do so without a valid reason. This should not be the practice. This has become a concern of the international parties as well. The Commission is an independent body, and if officials have to go after politicians to keep their position, then there is a serious problem,” he said.

Without a clear complainant no petition would be entertained. Preliminary investigations on seven complaints filed by the Anti Corruption Front, which brings allegations against more than one individual, would be investigated only after establishing this feature, he said