by Shamindra Ferdinando

Pivithuru Hala Urumaya (PHU) leader Udaya Gammanpila yesterday (09) said that President Ranil Wickremesinghe owed an explanation to the public as to why a successor to Inspector General of Police (IGP) C.D. Wickremeratne couldn’t be named before the end of the incumbent police chief’s second three- month extension. Wickremeratne’s second extension ended yesterday (09).

The former Power and Energy Minister said that in terms of the Constitution, the President should inform the Constitutional Council of his nominee for the post of IGP.

The CC consists of Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena (Chairman), Premier Dinesh Gunawardena, Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa, Nimal Siripala de Silva, Kabir Hashim, Sagara Kariyawasam, Dr. Prathap Ramanujam, Dr. Anula Wijesundera and Dr. Dinesha Samaratne. Of the 10 member CC, one slot remains vacant due to the failure on the part of political parties not represented by the PM and Opposition Leader to reach consensus on their nominee. The vacancy remains for more than a year.

The Colombo District lawmaker said that the failure on the part of the President’s Office to communicate the nomination of a new IGP should be examined against the backdrop of the CC declaration that another extension wouldn’t be granted under any circumstances.

MP Gammanpila challenged the legality of the extension granted to Wickremaratne nearly two weeks after he retired on March 26, 2023. Wickremaratne received his second service extension on July 09, 2023.

Lawmaker Gammanpila asked whether some external power wanted the Wickremesinghe-Rajapaksa government to retain Wickremaratne, who succeeded Pujith Jayasundera in the wake of 2019 Easter Sunday carnage. The PHU leader said that there hadn’t been a previous instance of such a controversy since the creation of CC with the enactment of the 17th Amendment to the Constitution.

Senior DIGs Nilantha Jayawardena and Deshabandu Tennakoon are the two senior most law enforcement officers eligible to be considered for the top post but are named in the Presidential Commission of Inquiry (PCoI) report on 2019 Easter Sunday carnage.

The CC is expected to meet today (10) to discuss the latest developments. Well informed sources said that the CC hadn’t received the President’s nominee yet. Sources said that in addition to the IGP’s issue the CC was expected to discuss the recent criticism directed at the body by Justice Minister Dr. Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe, PC.

Alleging that the CC and the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) had failed to do their duty, Minister Rajapakshe declared that the residences of CC members and those of CIABOC should be surrounded by the people instead of the homes of parliamentarians hereafter. The Minister said so after the Opposition Leader pointed out that the CC couldn’t appoint members to the CIABOC due to shortcomings in the Anti-Corruption Act. Chief Opposition Whip Lakshman Kiriella strongly defended the CC but the Justice Minister insisted that the Speaker and other members should take responsibility for turning a blind eye to the developing crisis.

In spite of the CIABOC having the authority to take tangible measures against those who had parked export proceeds amounting to USD 9 bn overseas nothing was being done in that regard, lawmaker Rajapakshe said. The Minister said that the country could make a rapid recovery if action was taken to investigate those named in Pandora and Panama Papers and the money stolen by them recovered. The Minister alleged that among those who had massive amounts of funds were some Secretaries to Ministers. Declaring they had as much as USD 150 mn, Minister Rajapakshe urged the government to declare an amnesty to bring back their money before going all out to recover stolen funds. The Minister said that CIABOC should be compelled to do its job or face the consequences.