“Work is underway by the National Executive Council to ensure the implementation of government’s anti-corruption programme in keeping with President Maithripala Sirisena’s 100-day plan,” he said.
“The government’s anti-corruption instrument will be reformed with an empowered legal framework to fight corruption effectively to combat the abuse of public office for private gain, theft, bribery involving political and bureaucratic corruption, and isolated and systematic corruption,” he said. He said a special commission to investigate allegations of massive corruption will be appointed within the stipulated 100 days.
Asked when will the proposed Commission to Investigate Corruption in the preceding period be appointed, Karunathilaka said: “It will be appointed as promised. The exact day or the time that the Commission would be appointed, will be known only after the group meeting in Parliament.”
The Parliamentary Group will meet today as per the 100-day program.
Asked whether any action is contemplated in regard to a complaint lodged on Saturday by former Minister Mervyn Silva with the Criminal Investigation Department over alleged fraudulent activities and crimes by former Minister Basil Rajapaksa and ex- Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, Karunathilaka said it is a subject in the purview of the Public Peace Ministry.
Meanwhile, contacted by the Daily News, Silva admitted that he had lodged a complaint to this effect and refused to comment on it over the phone stating that he’d rather liked a face-to-face interview. He expressed willingness to face an interview, saying that his problem was that he did not know who the caller was.
According to reports, the CID will commence investigations into Silva’s complaint once the Inspector General of Police gives his approval to proceed with it.
Our attempts to contact the IGP, CID DIG Seneviratna and Police Spokesman SSP Ajith Rohana were unsuccessful. Silva has claimed in his complaint that a number of killings, swindling of public funds running in to billions of rupees, various acts of nepotism and other fraudulent activities had been committed with the knowledge of former Minister Basil Rakjapaksa.
According to the complaint lodged with the CID by Silva, the murders of Sunday Leader Editor Lasantha Wickramatunga and former MP and Advisor to former President Mahinda Rajapaksa on Trade Unions, Bharatha Lakshman Premachandra had also been carried out with the former Defence Secretary’s knowledge.
