COI on political victimisation given till 25 Nov. to submit final report

• COI appointed in Jan. to examine complaints of political victimisation during last Govt.
• Among those who have made complaints are members of the armed forces and Police

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has given time till 25 November for the Commission of Inquiry (COI) he appointed to look into political victimisation during the previous government.

The term of the COI which he appointed in January ended on Monday (9 November) but a 16-day extension has been granted to hand over its final report.

In addition to examining complaints of political victimisation during the period 8 January 2015 and 16 November 2019, the COI is also inquiring into complaints it received in relation to officers of the Tri-forces and Sri Lanka Police and ascertain if inquiries, investigations and legal proceedings affected national security.

The warrant of the COI covers the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to be among the institutions to be probed along with the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC), Financial Investigations Divisions (FCID) or the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) of the Police.

The COI is investigating any malpractice or irregularity, or non-compliance with or disregard of the proper prudence, norms, guidelines, procedures and best practices applicable in relation to the administration of the CIABOC, FCID, SIU and the CID. Additionally, the COI is also investigating if the Police had been influenced or obstructed in their work.