• Probe underway; Police check database and records

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) said that it is continuing to investigate the documents and statements recorded by Parliamentary staff regarding the ongoing probe into the alleged entry of false educational qualifications of Members of Parliament (MPs) into the Legislature's database.

The CID launched the investigation last week following a complaint by Justice and National Integration Minister Harshana Nanayakkara, who called for an inquiry into the erroneous inclusion of his educational qualifications in the Parliament database.

In this context, CID Director, Woman Senior Superintendent of Police (WSSP) Imesha Muthumala, told The Daily Morning yesterday (23) that a team of CID officers had recorded statements from relevant Parliamentary staff and reviewed the associated documents and database. However, she stated that the investigation is ongoing and will proceed based on the recorded statements. "We (CID officers) visited Parliament and recorded statements from its staff. We also examined the database and the related records. Investigations are still underway," she said, refraining from further comment.

Following the incident, the Parliament of Sri Lanka admitted that the educational qualification details of Minister Nanayakkara on its website were incorrect, attributing the issue to a data entry error. Director of Legislative Services Jayalath Perera clarified that the title ‘Dr.’ had been erroneously prefixed to Minister Nanayakkara’s name in the directory of Members of Parliament on the Parliament website due to a mistake in entering the data.

The controversy surrounding the authenticity of educational qualifications started after the resignation of former Speaker of the Parliament Asoka Sapumal Ranwala over questions about him using the title ‘Dr.‘ allegedly without having obtained the particular qualification. This incident has sparked widespread concern among the public, the Government, and the Opposition, highlighting the lack of clarity and regulation in verifying qualifications of MPs.