Former President Ranil Wickremesinghe has been summoned once again by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) in relation to a statement he had made about the bribery case filed against New Democratic Front Opposition Parliamentarian Chamara Sampath Dassanayake.
Accordingly, Wickremesinghe has been requested to be present before the Commission at 9.30 a.m. on 25 April.
Wickremesinghe was previously summoned to the Commission on 17 April. In response to the previous summons, Wickremesinghe had indicated that he is prepared to appear before the Commission but requested a different date stating that his attorneys will not be available in Colombo during the New Year holiday period. In response to a letter directed by the CIABOC previously, the Office of Wickremesinghe had also stated that it was baffling and surprising about the quick reaction by the Commission to follow up on his media statement, which was given a mere 18 hours earlier.
Earlier, in a letter directed to Wickremesinghe, the Assistant Director General of the CIABOC, Asitha Anthony requested him to be present before the Commission on 17 April with regard to a statement that Wickremesinghe had made about the case. According to the letter, Anthony noted that the media statement made by Wickremesinghe indicates that he has more information regarding the case and that by making the statement, he has got involved in the ongoing investigations. Accordingly, Wickremesinghe was requested to present any relevant information to substantiate his recent statements made pertaining to the case filed against Dassanayake. According to the letter, if Wickremesinghe fails to appear before the Commission without a valid reason, the Commission is bound to act according to the provisions given in Section 126 of the Anti-Corruption Act, No. 9 of 2023.
On 7 April, Wickremesinghe claimed that Dassanayake withdrew the fixed deposits belonging to the Uva Provincial Council (PC), over which he is now facing corruption charges, in accordance with a circular issued during his tenure as the Prime Minister. Wickremesinghe questioned whether the MP’s arrest over the matter was in response to his vocal criticism of the Government in the Parliament.
Dassanayake is currently in remand custody for allegedly misappropriating a sum of Rs. 1 million of the Uva PC in 2016. Dassanayake was taken into custody on 27 March, over three separate corruption-related cases.
The Colombo Magistrate’s Court (MC) previously granted bail in the cases filed against him but he remains in remand custody due to an order issued by the Badulla MC.
According to the CIABOC, Dassanayake had solicited funds from three State banks, claiming that they were intended to provide bags for preschool children in the Province. Two banks complied, granting him Rs. one million and Rs. 2.5 million, which were later transferred to his personal foundation account. However, when a third bank refused to provide funds, Dassanayake reportedly retaliated by withdrawing the Uva PC’s fixed deposits from that institution. The CIABOC filed a case against Dassanayake, claiming that the Government incurred a financial loss of Rs. 17.3 million due to his actions.