NMSJ asks govt. to appoint CIABOC immediately

Former Speaker Karu Jayasuriya yesterday (09) demanded the immediate appointment of the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC).

Issuing a statement in his capacity as the Chairman of the National Movement for Social Justice, the former lawmaker pointed out that the IMF had suspended the second tranche of the USD 2.9 bn bailout package over Sri Lanka’s continuing failure to take meaningful measures to reign in corruption.

The one-time UNP Deputy Leader regretted the IMF declaration that Sri Lanka failed to implement anti-corruption measures as promised hence the suspension of the Extended Fund facility (EFF) intended to be implemented over a period of 48 months.

The IMF’s concerns in this regard should be examined taking into consideration the failure on the part ofParliament to active the CIABOC in terms of the anti-Corruption Act, Jayasuriya said.

Last week Justice Minister Dr. Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe and the main Opposition Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) clashed over the delay in naming the CIABOC.

Referring to the constitutional coup perpetrated by the then President Maithripala Sirisena in late 2018, the ex-Speaker speculated about the possibility of a deliberate bid to sabotage the CIABOC. Jayasuriya said that 2018 disruption was meant to derail the setting up of an independent procurement commission (SF)