“WE WILL NOT PROTECT ROGUES”

The Government will not protect anybody found guilty of fraud and corruption, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe stressed.

He made this comment with reference to latest developments at the Presidential Commission of Inquiry (PCoI) on Bond issues.

Addressing a gathering in Hatton yesterday, the Premier said, “If proven guilty we will not hesitate to take action against wrongdoers. Ours is not a party of thieves. If thieves do exist, we will remove them, but let us do so after transparent and proper investigations”.

“If anybody had committed wrongdoing or uttered lies that person will be expelled once the report comes out. Under special reasons we can ask any person to resign in the middle of investigations too,” the Premier noted.

“When there were allegations about the Bond issue, we first set up an internal committee.

Then we allowed COPE to conduct an investigation. Although we won the Parliamentary election, an opposition MP was appointed as the Chairman of COPE. Later, a Presidential Commission was appointed.”

“We have developed an open and transparent system where the Attorney General can question our ministers. Did this happen before? Had the Attorney General’s Department tried this before, its officials would have been white-vanned.”

“Today, our system is similar to that of the US. Some members of the Trump administration are being investigated. If proven guilty, they will be expelled. Under special circumstances, some resign while the investigations are underway. We have now established the same system here,” the Prime Minister said.

“So, don’t steal. If you steal, you will be exposed,” he added.

Wickremesinghe pointed out that open and transparent governance has been assured by making vital institutional changes such as empowering Parliamentary watchdog committees and independent commissions.

“People elected us into power expecting a just and corruption free society. If we fail to do that we will lose votes at the next election. We cannot solicit the votes of the rogues. We do not have a history of covering up corruption. We will do the needful as the right time comes. Now the system is in place that those committing wrongdoing will be under spotlight. We have a system similar to the US and UK now,” he remarked.

The Prime Minister said the media-at large cannot talk about the misappropriations of the previous government, as they covered them up in the past.

“Almost all the print and electronic media stations toed the line. What happened to Lasantha Wickrematunga and Prageeth Eknaligoda who went on to expose their acts of corruption? Today, the Rajapaksa supporters say we should not investigate into their deaths as it will jeopardize national security.”

“We challenge the media institutions that protected the Rajapaksa regime to run this story as a headline. I know none of them will do so,” he said.

 

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