Gossip Circle: Ranga Faces the Storm

Colombo, October 7 — A quiet tremor ran through Parliament today as accusations surfaced over the legality of recent appointments to the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC). What should have been a routine confirmation has turned into a political showdown — and at the centre of it stands Ranga Dissanayake, a seasoned and tough-minded judge now appointed as Director General of the Commission.

Opposition MP Dayasiri Jayasekara fired the first shot, claiming that Speaker Jagath Wickramaratne and Leader of the House Bimal Rathnayake had misled Constitutional Council member Dinesha Samararatne into voting for Dissanayake. According to Jayasekara, Samararatne has lodged both an affidavit and an email protest, alleging that she was assured the process was politically neutral and that awarding marks out of 30 was a fair and accepted method.

The vote itself was razor-thin. Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa, MP Ajith P. Perera, Dr. Pratap Ramanujan, and Dr. Dilukshi Wijesundara had backed Metsiri Madhawa Tennakoon, while Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya, Bimal Rathnayake, Aboobucker Athambawa, and Sivagnanam supported Dissanayake. Samararatne’s contested vote tipped the balance.

Jayasekara called the appointments “a violation of parliamentary privilege” and said the entire legislature is answerable for what he described as “an unlawful process.”

Speaker Wickramaratne, unshaken, responded briefly, saying he would issue a full statement later.

Ranga Dissanayake, known for his composure and unbending legal temperament, now faces a different kind of trial — one played out not in a courtroom, but in the arena of politics and public scrutiny. The question circling Colombo tonight is whether this storm will pass — or if it’s just beginning to gather force.