Former President Ranil Wickremesinghe has made a special statement with regard to the factors leading to the arrest and remand of Badulla District Chamara Sampath Dassanayake over corruption allegations.
The Badulla District MP was recently arrested over the alleged misappropriation of funds from the Provincial Council fixed deposit with a state bank.
Making a special statement, the former President made the following remarks concerning the matter;
I met with members of MP Chamara Sampath Dassanayake’s family. During my time as Prime Minister, a circular was issued by the Treasury Secretary with the approval of then President Maithripala Sirisena, stating that Provincial Council funds could not be placed in fixed deposit accounts. The circular noted that both government funds and other allocated funds must be spent within the same year or returned to the Ministry of Finance or the relevant Provincial Council ministry. Since holding back and depositing those funds for use in future projects was illegal, we took steps to stop that practice.
At that time, Chief Minister Chamara Sampath and several other Chief Ministers raised concerns and were informed why such deposits were not permitted. Accordingly, they withdrew those funds from the fixed deposit accounts.
This wasn’t limited to Uva Province – similar actions were taken in other provinces as well. Chamara Sampath regularly communicated with me, and I supported him on educational and other matters. However, we were on opposite political sides. While he was serving as Chief Minister, the current Minister Samantha Vidyaratna lodged a complaint. I told those involved that this was not a matter I would intervene in and that it should be discussed with the Bribery Commission. I also said I couldn’t get involved in political or anti-political activities involving Chief Ministers.
The matter has been investigated by the Commission. Not once has Chamara Sampath been found guilty or even named as a suspect. The investigations are based on previous events, not new allegations. Another concern is that as soon as he responds to these allegations, statements are issued claiming he has been taken into custody. How can such a thing be justified?
MP Chamara Sampath is a frequent speaker in Parliament and a strong voice in the Opposition. There is a serious question as to whether this legal process is connected to his active role in Parliament. I believe he should request a Parliamentary inquiry into this and determine whether this is a violation of parliamentary privileges. (Newswire)