The report of the Presidential Commission on incidents of Political Revenge during the period from 2015-2019 should be made public immediately, National People’s Power leader, MP Anura Kumara Dissanayake said yesterday. Dissanayake made this observation at a media briefing held at the JVP headquarters in Battramulla.
Dissanayake demanded the government to make the report public while pointing out that the said report is not the property of the Rajapaksa family to be kept private.
Dissanayake observed, “Shortly after this government came to power, a Presidential Commission of Inquiry was established to investigate the incidents of political revenge during the Yahapalana regime.
Appointed under the chairmanship of former Supreme Court Judge Upali Abeyratne, it was operational from January 9, 2020 to November 26, 2020. Our main argument is about keeping the Commission report secret. I have on several occasions requested at Parliamentary Group meetings that the Commission’s report be presented to Parliament. The Speaker has been informed regarding this as well. A request was also made to the Presidential Secretariat on January 21 to provide a copy of the report under the Freedom of Information Act.”
Dissanayake pointed out, “On February 8, I was informed by the Information Officer of the Presidential Secretariat that the report could not be submitted. Then on February 22 we filed an appeal. Also, my team of lawyers had requested the Presidential Secretariat to submit the report on January 29 and no response has been received so far. Attorney Sunil Watagala made another request on February 12.”
After the report of the Easter Commission was handed over, an attempt was made to conceal it, Dissanayake noted. “The report had to be presented to Parliament on the insistence of the Cardinal, other political parties and the media. There are about six volumes of that report and only the first volume has been presented to Parliament. No legal action has been taken so far regarding this report submitted on January 31.
The Attorney General too was able to obtain the report after much effort. The report of the Presidential Commission on Political Revenge is kept undisclosed while Cabinet decisions are taken to acquit persons involved in corruption cases based on the report.
We have a fair right to receive this Commission Report,” Dissanayake pointed out.