Sri Lanka Police has rejected allegations circulating on social media that the Inspector General of Police had issued a circular to provide duty-free electric motorcycles to police officers through a businessman from Anuradhapura.
According to Sri Lanka Police, a video circulating on social media features a person identifying himself as the convener of the “Purawesiya” organisation speaking at a media briefing about a complaint submitted to the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption.
In the video, allegations are made that an opportunity had been given to an Anuradhapura-based businessman to import the electric motorcycles based on his personal relationship with the Inspector General of Police, and that the distribution of the motorcycles had been delayed because the businessman was unable to import them.
Sri Lanka Police said a programme has in fact been prepared to provide duty-free electric motorcycles for the welfare of police officers from the junior ranks up to the rank of inspector, and a proposal concerning the programme has been submitted to the Cabinet.
Cabinet has granted policy approval for the project, as well as approval for the relevant customs duty on the motorcycles to be paid through the Police Reward Fund, according to the police.
The Inspector General of Police has subsequently appointed a committee to determine how the project should be implemented.
The committee has recommended obtaining proposals through a national competitive Request for Proposal (RFP) process advertised in newspapers and providing eligible companies with the opportunity to supply the motorcycles, with purchases made according to the preferences of individual officers.
The police said arrangements are currently being made to publish the relevant newspaper advertisements within the next few weeks.
Accordingly, Sri Lanka Police stressed that the allegations contained in the circulating video are false and baseless.
Police also said steps will be taken to enforce the law against the dissemination of false information without proper verification, particularly where such claims could create a misleading impression of the Sri Lanka Police and the Inspector General of Police among the public. (Newswire)