Claiming that it is questionable as to whether a Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) to investigate financial crimes will serve a substantial purpose, Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) Opposition MP Eran Wickramaratne said that President Ranil Wickremesinghe and the Government should instead initiate investigations into the financial crimes that have occurred, gather the related evidence, and allow bodies such as the Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) to forward their findings to the Attorney General's (AG's) Department.
Speaking to The Morning, he said: “How many Presidential Commissions of Inquiry (CoIs) and PSCs have been in this country? I was recently told that there will be a CoI on a CoI. I do not know if this is a joke. What people are really looking for is actions. When it comes to financial crimes, what the Government and the President, if they are serious, should do is to institute investigations, collect evidence, and get the AG to do the needful. Otherwise, it will become a joke if they appoint a CoI or a PSC and say that they have fulfilled their responsibility.”
He also said that bodies which are looking into irregularities and corruption such as the COPE should be given powers to refer their findings to institutions such as the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) and the AG’s Department. He said that the COPE had submitted a proposal seeking such powers, but that the same was rejected by the Government, and added: “The COPE and similar bodies conduct investigations, but there is no action over their findings. To have action, the relevant Standing Orders have to be amended. The Government should take steps to provide such bodies with these powers.”
Speaking in Parliament on 8 December, President Wickremesinghe said that a PSC will be established on a resolution by Parliament to look into those who led the economy to bankruptcy with erroneous fiscal policies. He also said that the country has had to face adverse repercussions at present due to the shortsighted, populist decisions taken in the past, and that therefore, unpopular decisions will have to be taken for the future prospects of the country.
Meanwhile, when contacted by The Morning last week, Speaker of Parliament Mahinda Yapa Abeywardana said: “The relevant arrangements to appoint the PSC have to be made by the party leaders. The party leaders are going to meet only in January 2023. When they meet, they will discuss the matter and take the necessary steps regarding the PSC’s appointment.”