Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) General Secretary Sagara Kariyawasam criticised the Director General of the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) over actions related to the investigation into the Airbus deal involving SriLankan Airlines.
Kariyawasam said a person had been arrested over allegations of receiving commissions linked to the Airbus transaction, but questioned the conduct of the bribery commission’s Director General during the investigation.
He noted that Parliament had approved legislation in 2023 to strengthen the anti-corruption commission and grant it significant powers.
“We supported the establishment of this commission believing that such an institution would act responsibly and without any political agenda,” he said.
He alleged that a suspect connected to the Airbus case had been pressured by the CIABOC chief to sign a statement naming certain politicians, and questioned whether the developments were politically motivated, referring to earlier remarks made in Parliament by Bimal Rathnayake.
“We have serious concerns as to whether these actions are being carried out to support political claims made earlier without any proper basis,” he said.
He said institutions such as the bribery commission were created to ensure justice and accountability, and referred to allegations previously made by the late Nandana Gunathilaka regarding the Director General of the commission, while claiming that no proper inquiry had been conducted into those claims.
Kariyawasam said his party was raising the issue to warn the public against what he described as attempts to misuse state institutions for political purposes.
Former SriLankan Airlines CEO Kapila Chandrasena was arrested last week for “allegedly accepting bribes while serving as the CEO of SriLankan Airlines and the head of the Procurement Committee for the purchase of Airbus aircraft,” the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) said in a statement. (NewsWire)