A civil society group has lodged a complaint with the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC), calling for an investigation into alleged irregularities in the procurement of 100 buses.
Nuwan Thilakaratne, convener of the National Movement for the Protection of Public Rights, said the complaint was filed following recent claims by Prasanna Gunasena, the Deputy Minister of Transport, that four buses had been received as a form of gratification in the transaction.
“We decided to lodge a complaint because whether a bribe is taken openly or secretly, it is still wrong,” Thilakaratne said.
He questioned the transparency of the procurement process, noting that the buses were purchased using public funds.
“These buses were bought using taxpayers’ money, not personal funds. So the public has a right to know what exactly happened in this deal,” he said.
Thilakaratne further claimed that in previous bus procurement practices, suppliers had provided one additional bus free for every 10 buses purchased, and questioned the figures cited in the current deal.
“In the past, if 10 buses were bought, one bus was given free. Based on that, for 100 buses, 10 should have been received. But if only four buses were given, what happened to the other six?” he asked.
He also questioned whether the remaining value had been provided in another form.
He also called for clarity on whether such provisions were included in tender documents and whether officials had directly engaged with suppliers during the process.
The group urged CIABOC to conduct a full investigation and disclose findings to the public if any wrongdoing is established.
“We request the Commission to carry out a proper investigation and reveal the truth to the country if corruption has taken place,” Thilakaratne said. (NewsWire)