Suspend Bribery Chief
By Gagani Weerakoon- January 2, 2014
The Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), yesterday demanded that President Mahinda Rajapaksa suspend the Chairman of the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC), Jagath Balapatabendi, paving the way for the Commission to carryout independent investigations on allegations against its Chief.
After handing over the petition to the Commission about bribery and corruption, allegedly committed by Balapatabendi in the past six years, from the time he was a Judge of the Supreme Court, until the present time, in his capacity as the Chairman of CIABOC, JVP Colombo District Parliamentarian, Sunil Handunnetti, said, "It is the President who appoints the Chairman of the Commission and he should take necessary measures to ensure that the credibility of the institution is not at stake. On the other hand, Balapatabendi also should ensure that the Commission has the freedom to carry out free and fair investigations. The Commission will decide whether he is wrong or clear him of the charges. In order to do this, either he has to step down until such time or the President should ask him to step down."
Balapatabendi had come under severe criticism on several occasions in Parliament recently, for allegedly suppressing and covering up charges of bribery and corruption that had been lodged against government politicians and their stooges. UNP Colombo District Parliamentarian, Sujeewa Senasinghe, during the Third Reading debate of the 2014 Budget, it was pointed out how the Bribery Chief had allegedly aided and abetted in the arrest of the former Director (Preventive) of Sri Lanka Customs for an alleged charge of bribery early last year, as a personal favour to one of his friends, the owner of Vehicle Lanka (Pvt) Ltd., Harsha de Silva.
Senasinghe said that though an arrest has to be made when the bribe was being accepted, in the case of the former Customs Preventive Director, Ranjan Kanagasabai, the bribery officials were not present at the time the bribe was purported to have been given, to positively conclude whether the bribe was accepted or not.
By Gagani Weerakoon- January 2, 2014
The Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), yesterday demanded that President Mahinda Rajapaksa suspend the Chairman of the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC), Jagath Balapatabendi, paving the way for the Commission to carryout independent investigations on allegations against its Chief.
After handing over the petition to the Commission about bribery and corruption, allegedly committed by Balapatabendi in the past six years, from the time he was a Judge of the Supreme Court, until the present time, in his capacity as the Chairman of CIABOC, JVP Colombo District Parliamentarian, Sunil Handunnetti, said, "It is the President who appoints the Chairman of the Commission and he should take necessary measures to ensure that the credibility of the institution is not at stake. On the other hand, Balapatabendi also should ensure that the Commission has the freedom to carry out free and fair investigations. The Commission will decide whether he is wrong or clear him of the charges. In order to do this, either he has to step down until such time or the President should ask him to step down."
Balapatabendi had come under severe criticism on several occasions in Parliament recently, for allegedly suppressing and covering up charges of bribery and corruption that had been lodged against government politicians and their stooges. UNP Colombo District Parliamentarian, Sujeewa Senasinghe, during the Third Reading debate of the 2014 Budget, it was pointed out how the Bribery Chief had allegedly aided and abetted in the arrest of the former Director (Preventive) of Sri Lanka Customs for an alleged charge of bribery early last year, as a personal favour to one of his friends, the owner of Vehicle Lanka (Pvt) Ltd., Harsha de Silva.
Senasinghe said that though an arrest has to be made when the bribe was being accepted, in the case of the former Customs Preventive Director, Ranjan Kanagasabai, the bribery officials were not present at the time the bribe was purported to have been given, to positively conclude whether the bribe was accepted or not.
