The Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption has ruled that the assets affidavit filed earlier this month by former President Mahinda Rajapaksa is incomplete and ordered him to resubmit a fully completed declaration without delay, NewsFirst reported.
The Bribery Commission warned that failure to comply will be treated as non-disclosure of information under the Anti-Corruption Act No. 9 of 2023, with further action taken accordingly.
The ruling marks the first formal review outcome since Rajapaksa filed his affidavit on April 10 in compliance with a CIABOC order. The Commission also disclosed that Rajapaksa never submitted an affidavit in connection with a separate assets investigation initiated in 2015 — and accordingly issued a notice on March 23 under Section 49(1)(e) of the Anti-Corruption Act instructing him to file one within 14 days.
Shiranthi property transfer suspended
In a parallel escalation, the Commission has demanded an explanation regarding the manner in which a house on Torrington Avenue, Colombo, owned by former First Lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa, was acquired. The request is linked to an investigation involving the “Siriliya account.”
CIABOC said there is suspicion the property may have been acquired through unlawful means. Pending a satisfactory explanation, the Commission has suspended the transfer of ownership of the house to any other party. If the explanation is unsatisfactory, judicial action will be initiated to restrain the property through court proceedings, the Commission warned.
The disclosures add a fresh accountability track to a series of corruption proceedings now running in parallel. They follow former SriLankan Airlines CEO Kapila Chandrasena’s court statement that Rs. 60 million from alleged Airbus bribe funds was paid to Rajapaksa, which had renewed pressure on the assets case.
Source: NewsFirst.
