A petition against Ranga, the Director General of the Bribery Commission, alleging incitement to suicide

The Joint Opposition has made a written request to the Chairman of the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) to conduct a formal disciplinary inquiry against the conduct of its current Director General, Mr. Ranga Dissanayake. The Joint Opposition, which comprises several political groups including the Sri Lanka Freedom Party, the United National Party, the United Republican Front, and the Lanka Sama Samaja Party, points out that the said senior official is acting in an arbitrary and biased manner.

Opposition political leaders have taken steps to hand over the official complaint regarding this matter to the Chairman of the Bribery Commission, Justice Neil Iddawela.

This letter has been submitted to the Chairman with the signatures of the Opposition convener, Professor G. L. Peiris, and former Members of Parliament Lasantha Alagiyawanna, Premnath C. Dolawatte, and Bandula Gunawardhana. They emphasize the need for this investigation to be conducted impartially, based on a confidential affidavit made by the late Mr. Kapila Chandrasena, a former CEO of SriLankan Airlines, before his demise. The political leaders further request that the Director General concerned be immediately sent on compulsory leave until the completion of the investigation, and thereafter, strict disciplinary action be taken against him.

According to existing legal provisions, all powers of the Bribery Commission are vested in its Chairman, and as per the Anti-Corruption Act No. 9 of 2023, the Director General is always bound to act under the direct instructions and guidance of the Chairman. The complaint also reminds that since the members of this independent commission are appointed by the Constitutional Council to strictly adhere to the legal processes of the country, it is a primary responsibility of the commission's heads to ascertain whether the responsible officers serving therein are properly performing their assigned duties.

The Joint Opposition points out that certain actions of the current Director General have created a serious problematic situation within the Commission and states that the Chairman and members of the Commission have full authority to investigate the allegations of bias received against him. It is the Opposition's stance that, in light of such serious allegations, there is no legal basis for the Director General to continue holding that position and directing official duties, in accordance with Section 19 (2) of the Anti-Corruption Act No. 9 of 2023.

According to the facts revealed through the affidavit of the late Mr. Kapila Chandrasena, it is clear that the Director General has recently been involved in several irregularities. Mr. Chandrasena noted in his affidavit that the Director General had coercively pressured him to give statements linking the names of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Member of Parliament Namal Rajapaksa to a bribery case. Furthermore, Mr. Chandrasena revealed before his death that the Director General had told him that he had arranged two special privileged opportunities for a person who testified in a case related to former Minister Keheliya Rambukwella.

The Joint Opposition emphasizes that such arbitrary and biased actions raise serious doubts and distrust among the general public regarding the independence and impartiality of the entire Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption. For this reason, the Commission must immediately take steps to verify the truthfulness of the facts contained in the said affidavit, and opposition political leaders are arranging to personally meet the Chairman of the Bribery Commission in the coming days to directly discuss this serious crisis.