Prosecute or exonerate those accused of corruption: Eran

Monday, 12 June 2023 01:49 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Says leaving allegations to merely linger can lead to a loss of people’s trust in the Govt.
Expresses doubt if Govt. will take measures to combat corruption in the country even with the Anti-Corruption law
Asks if the proposed legislation is an Anti-corruption Bill or an Anti-whistleblower Bill, given the disproportionate punishments proposed for the convicted and complainants who aren't able to prove their allegations

SJB MP Eran Wickramaratne

Samagi Jana Balayawegaya (SJB) MP Eran Wickramaratne yesterday demanded the Government either prosecute or exonerate those accused of large-scale corruption.

The MP said the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) led by the Rajapaksa’s accused current President Ranil Wickremesinghe of being involved in the bond scam.

“The main promise of the Rajapaksa Government during the last general election was to punish the Central Bank bond scammers. The Rajapaksas went around the country claiming the country lost billions of rupees due to the scam carried out by the United National Party-led Government,” he noted.

“The current Government should prosecute those accused or should declare them as innocent without tarnishing them,” the MP said. “Allowing time to pass and leave them as mere accusations can lead to a loss of people’s trust in the Government,” he added.

The MP noted that while significant marine pollution was caused by the X-Press Pearl disaster and later it was claimed $ 250 million was paid to suppress the case, the Government has not taken any action regarding the accusations.

“Therefore even if the new Anti-Corruption Act is passed, there will be reasonable doubt whether the Government will take measures to combat corruption in the country. The Government is merely bringing this action to fulfil the promises given to the IMF,” he alleged.

Referring to the recent incident where MP Ali Sabry was arrested for smuggling gold into the country, Wickremaratne said the MP was released after paying 10% of the fine imposed on a citizen who brought gold in a similar quantity. “If two persons were fined differently for similar kinds of offences, there is a reasonable doubt that there is a cat’s paw behind it. The MP questioned if the anti-corruption Act proposed by the Government would in fact be used to catch thieves in the country

The MP also questioned if the recently proposed legislation to curb corruption is in fact, an Anti-corruption Bill or an Anti- whistleblower Bill.

The MP noted that the proposed law has prescribed a maximum four-year prison term for a person convicted of large-scale corruption while in comparison it has prescribed a ten-year prison term to anyone who lodges a corruption-related complaint but fails to prove the allegation.