The Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) has opened probes into complaints against both Speaker Dr. Jagath Wickramaratne and suspended Deputy Secretary General of Parliament Chaminda Kularatne, the Sunday Times reported.

CIABOC is investigating one complaint by Kularatne against the Speaker, two complaints against Kularatne himself — including one lodged by an individual named S. Kannan — and has requested Kularatne’s personal file, interview records and other parliamentary documents.

Kularatne filed a writ application at the Court of Appeal in February through counsel Sanjeeva Jayawardena, PC, challenging his interdiction as unlawful and alleging that the Speaker’s action was driven by malicious intent.

The Attorney General’s Department initially suggested a possible settlement in the appeal proceedings, then informed the court it would no longer represent the Speaker. Wickramaratne has since retained private counsel K. Kanag-Isvaran, PC.

Kularatne’s separate CIABOC complaints against the Speaker allege misuse of official vehicles, irregular receipt of fuel allowances, misuse of Parliament media division equipment, consumption of meals from Parliament without proper payment and improper use of government quarters. He has further alleged malicious interference with parliamentary administration and the improper rejection of Right to Information requests relating to alleged corruption.

The case opens a rare line of bribery commission scrutiny against a sitting Speaker and alongside an active appeals court dispute between two of Parliament’s most senior officials.

Update — June 19: Court of Appeal fixes Kularatne petition for support on July 20

A Court of Appeal bench comprising President of the Court of Appeal Justice Rohantha Abeysuriya and Justice Priyantha Fernando on Friday fixed Kularatne’s writ petition for support on July 20, Ada Derana and Newswire reported. Sanjeeva Jayawardena, PC, appearing for Kularatne, told the court he was ready to argue the case. K. Kanag-Isvaran, PC, appearing for Speaker Jagath Wickramaratne, and Nigel Hatch, PC, appearing for named respondents Bimal Rathnayake and Anil Jayantha, indicated they would raise preliminary objections on the petition’s maintainability. Attorney-at-Law Chamara Nanayakkrawasam, appearing for another respondent, took the same position. The widening list of named respondents — including two sitting NPP ministers — extends the case beyond the original Speaker-versus-Deputy-Secretary-General axis.

Sources