Final 17 reports on large-scale corruption ready: PRECIFAC

By Shanika Sriyananda

While packing its bags after its mandate ended in November, the presidential anti-corruption commission is awaiting an appointment from President Maithripala Sirisena to hand over 17 final reports and a final overall report on large-scale corruption, fraud, abuse of power and state funds.

The Secretary of the Presidential Commission of Inquiry to Investigate and Inquire into Serious Acts of Fraud, Corruption, and Abuse of Power (PRECIFAC) H.W. Gunadasa said that during its tenure it had investigated 34 major cases of large-scale fraud and corruption.

 

“We have already handed over 17 final reports on large-scale fraud and corruption to the President for further legal action,” he told the Daily FT.

PRECIFAC, which was appointed by President Sirisena to investigate large-scale fraud, corruption and misuse of power during the previous regime, was given two extensions to complete over 415 allegations, out of 1,600 complaints.

He said PRECIFAC’s final overall report would recommend how to prevent and tackle large-scale fraud and corruption in the future.  

“The reports are ready and we have requested a date for an appointment from the President Secretariat to hand over these reports to the President,” he said.

Gunasena said they were in the process of handing over furniture, clearing documents, settling bills and completing other administrative work before handing over the premises used by PRECIFAC.

“We will hand over important reports used for investigations to the President Secretariat,” he said.

Several top officials of the previous Government, including some Cabinet Ministers and defence officials, have testified before its five-member panel of commissioners, which includes High Court judges Padman Surasena, Piyasena Ranasinghe and Gihan Kulatunga as well as former Auditor General B.A. Premathilake, at the public hearings held at the BMICH.

The final reports handed over to President Sirisena include those on the alleged fraud at ITN during the last presidential election campaign of former president Mahinda Rajapaksa, the alleged illegal deployment of Rakna Lanka employees for the 2015 presidential polls, the sale of expired dynamite by the Ministry of Defence, financial irregularities within SriLankan Airlines and SriLankan Airlines Catering, the misuse of state funds at the Lunuwila Coconut Research Board, financial irregularities reported at the North Central Provincial Council when purchasing water filters and the misuse of state vehicles and fuel by the former Chief Minister of the North Central Province.