by Sandasen Marasinghe

A complaint was made before the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption yesterday requesting to reopen an investigation against former President Mahinda Rajapaksa on alleged misuse of tsunami funds in 2004, while he was the Prime Minister.

Social Services, Welfare and Livestock Development Deputy Minister Ranjan Ramanayake lodged the complaint before the Bribery Commission yesterday requesting for the recommencement of the investigation against Rajapaksa, for alleged corruption committed by depositing Rs. 82 million of the Tsunami Relief Fund in 2004.

Deputy Minister Ramanayake said that the money was deposited in the account of the Rajapaksa Memorial Educational Cultural and Social Services Foundation.

He also said that this money was sent by those people living overseas who were moved by the devastation caused to Sri Lanka by the tsunami on December 26, 2004.

He said that the then Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa could have deposited the money in a separate account rather than in that account. He added the investigation should gave been carried out to ascertain as for what programmes this money had been spent on.

Deputy Minister Ramanayake further said that he handed over the relevant documents pertaining to his complaint to the Bribery Commission to conduct the investigation.

He also said that United National Party General Secretary Kabir Hashim filed a case against the Helping Hambantota incident. He said this incident took place prior to Mahinda Rajapaksa was elected President. He said that the Prime Minister does not have legal immunity.

He also said that however before the case was concluded, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa was elected President and he filed a human rights case and the complainant and the DIG had to pay Rs 100,000 each thereafter.

He added that the then Chief Justice Sarath N. Silva later observed that Mahinda Rajapaksa escaped because of him. He said that the former Chief Justice later said that it was a mistake that he made. The Deputy Minister further said that he handed over the documents pertaining to that incident too.

Courtesy:Daily News