Former Secretary to the Presidential Commission of Inquiry to Investigate and Inquire into Serious Acts of Fraud, Corruption and Abuse of Power, State Resources and Privileges (PRECIFAC), Lacille De Silva, yesterday (02) said that Yahapalana President Maithripala Sirisena owed an explanation as to why the case involving ex-Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage was not heard during his time.

PRECIFAC consisted of four High Court Judges – Padman Surasena, Amendra Seneviratna, Vikum Kaluarachchi, Gihan Kulatunga – and former Auditor General B.A. Premathilake.

Civil society activist De Silva, who had served as Director of Administration of Parliament for over a decade, said that PRECIFAC recommended action against Aluthgamage and Nalin Fernando, Sathosa Chairman at the time of the scam the state entity suffered a loss of Rs 53 mn. At the time PRECIFAC probed the Sathosa case, Nalin Fernando hadn’t entered parliamentary politics, De Silva pointed out urging the government to find out as to why the investigations couldn’t be brought to a successful conclusion.

Nalin Fernando first entered Parliament on the SLPP ticket at the 2020 parliamentary elections.

The Yahapalana administration lacked the political will to continue with the investigations into cases involving politicians. The Financial Crimes Investigation Division (FCID) arrested Fernando in April 2018 but was later granted bail. In the following year, a travel ban was imposed in October but was lifted in December, De Silva said, alleging poor handling of the anti-corruption drive caused the Yahapalana government a debilitating setback.

Aluthgamage was handed a 20-year term of rigorous imprisonment, while Fernando was given a 25-year term of rigorous imprisonment by a High Court trial-at-bar after being found guilty of causing a Rs 53 million loss to the state.

They were accused of importing carrom boards and checkers boards through Sathosa in the run-up to 2015 presidential elections and distributing them to clubs.

Responding to The Island queries, De Silva said that the government tasked PRECIFAC with inquiring into mishandling, misuse and abuse, misappropriation, corruption and frauds with regard to state funds and resources from 2010 to 2015. On the instructions issued by the then government, police headquarters assigned a team of 30 police officers, under the leadership of ASP Lalith Abeysekara. Chief Inspector Geethika Bodhipaksha had been in charge of the unit, De Silva said, alleging that the Yahapalana leaders wasted their (PRECIFAC) efforts.

Declaring the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) should be commended for bringing the case involving Aluthgamage and Fernando to a successful conclusion, De Silva emphasised that it would be the responsibility of the Commission to ensure that cases weren’t withdrawn on technical grounds. The current CIABOC leadership consists of Justice W.M.N.P. Iddawala (Chairman), K.B.Rajapakse and Chethiya Goonesekera P.C. R.S.A. Dissanayake functions as the Director General of the CIABOC.

De Silva said that PRECIFAC handed over its final report to President Sirisena in early January 2018 and the President brought the investigated lot back into power just nine months later.

Referring to media reports that dealt with CIABOC, De Silva pointed out that the number of cases that had been withdrawn by the CIABOC and Attorney General during Yahapalana as well as during tenures of Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Ranil Wickremesinghe highlighted the pathetic situation.

De Silva said that during the hearing of a recently concluded case involving two Ministers the head of Trial-at-Bar and senior CIABOC representative underscored how corruption contributed to the deterioration of the economy to such an extent the country ended up bankrupt in 2022.

By Shamindra Ferdinando