Anti-corruption body faces closure

Allegations that PM's office vehicles were misused

CORRUPTION: CASE CLOSED

The Secretariat tasked to direct public complaints on bribery and corruption to different agencies is facing closure amid allegations that vehicles from the Prime Minister’s office have been used by it for surveillance work.

Th e A n t i - C o r r u p t i o n Committee Secretariat, located near Temple Trees, was set up after the presidential election in January 2015. It was an adjunct body of a high-powered committee that met weekly to review anti- corruption work. This was set up on a recommendation to the Cabinet by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.

Among members of the committee were representatives of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP).

However, the JVP pulled out l ater l eaving only the Government representatives.

The official reason attributed for the closure is the claim that the different investigative bodies – the Financial Crimes Investigation Division (FCID), the National Procurement

Commission ( NPC) and the Commission to Investigate Bribery and Corruption - are “now fully operational.”

However, the Sunday Times learns that vehicles belonging to the Prime Minister’s secretariat have been used for surveillance and other activities by the Anti-Corruption Committee Secretariat. One instance that has come to light is surveillance carried out on a university lecturer at his residence in Moratuwa.

Senior officials who brought the situation to Premier Wickremesinghe’s attention and warned that this could have created another ‘ White Van” syndrome. Under the previous government white vans were used for abduction of persons including journalists.

Th e A n t i - C o r r u p t i o n Committee Secretariat also has requested for field allowances for accommodation and food expenses for those deployed in surveillance work. A six-month extension of the term of the Secretariat expires on June 30.

Most personnel to man the Secretariat were hand picked by the JVP which supported the anti- corruption drive. The Director, Ananda Wijepala, told the Sunday Times that a decision to extend the Secretariat's term was a matter for the Cabinet. He argued that “no attempts should be made to blame officials for the closure,” he said.

Mr Wijepala said 400 public complaints were forwarded to the FCID and 120 to the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery and Corruption.