I weep for the liberty of my country when I see at this early day of its successful experiment that corruption has been imputed to many members of the House of Representatives, and the rights of the people have been bartered for promises of office Andrew Jackson-American President (1829 -1837)

Money and corruption are ruining the land, crooked politicians betray the working man, pocketing the profit and treating us like sheep, and we’re tired of hearing promises that we know they’ll never keep
Ray Davies-British musician

President Maithripala Sirisena on 16 January, appointed a Special Presidential Commission of Inquiry to probe fraud, corruption and malpractices that had taken place in the Unity Government from 15th January 2015 to 31st December 2018, the Presidential Media Division said.

The five member Commission, led by retired Supreme Court Judge A.H.M. Upali Abeyrathne as the Chairman included retired High Court Judge Sarojini Kusala Weerawardane, retired Auditor General P.A. Pemathilaka, former Ministry Secretary Lalith R. de Silva and former DIG M. K. D. Wijaya Amarasinghe as the other members of the investigative Commission. The President expressed confidence that there will be frauds of serious nature that will surface, once the Commission begins its probe.The terms of reference as stated in the Gazette Extraordinary
No. 2106/11 were:-

‘AND WHEREAS, A large number of serious complaints and allegations had been made against persons who had held or continue to hold political office and those who have been or continue to be public servants and officers of statutory bodies regarding acts of corruption, fraud, criminal breach of trust, criminal misappropriation of property, cheating and abuse or misuse of power or authority, State resources and privileges during the period 15 January 2015 to 31 December 2018…

1. To call for and receive public complaints, information and other material relating to serious allegations against persons who have held or continue to hold political office, those who have been or continue to be public servants and officers of statutory bodies, regarding acts of corruption, fraud, criminal breach of trust, criminal misappropriation of property, cheating, and abuse or misuse of power, State resources and privileges allegedly occurred during the period of 15th January, 2015 to 31st December, 2018 and have resulted in serious loss or damages to State assets and State revenue;

2. To conduct prompt, impartial, comprehensive investigations and inquiries into complaints, information and allegations referred to in paragraph 1 above;

3. To identify persons who have been or are responsible in terms of the law for committing such offences, acts of wrongdoing, and abuse or misuse of power or authority, State resources and privileges ;

4. To Identify and collect evidence available with regard to such offences and acts of wrongdoing as referred to in paragraph 1 above, and against persons responsible for having committed offences connected with such incidents and wrongdoing;

5. To Identity which of the acts coming within the ambit of matters referred to in paragraph 1 above, should be forwarded to the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption or to the Police or to any other law enforcement authority or statutory body for the conduct of necessary investigations and inquiries with the view to instituting criminal proceedings against persons alleged to have committed the said offences;

6. To transmit to the Attorney General investigational and inquiry material, enabling the Attorney General to consider the institution of criminal proceedings against persons alleged to have committed the said offences and prosecute the accused;

7. To present to me recommendations of the Commission regarding what action if any, should be taken against those held responsible for having committed offences and acts of wrongdoing and recommendations aimed at preventing the occurrence of such offences and acts of wrongdoing in the future.

When considering the period of inquiry the Bond Scandal has dogged the UNP since it became public in March 2015, two months after the coalition’s shock victory in a Presidential Election. The scandal has broader business implications, not least because it reinforces a global impression of Sri Lanka as a country where corruption remains rampant. It resulted in Sri Lanka’s fall of 12 places in the 2016 Corruption Perception Index, by Transparency International, Sri Lanka has just $7 billion in foreign currency reserves, and is due to pay more than $5 billion in maturing foreign loans and interest starting in 2019. A prolonged reduction of foreign direct investment, has not helped as FDI amounted to just $450 million in 2016, down by 54 per cent from 2015.

In conclusion, the foregoing terms of reference and the preceding consistent actions taken by President Sirisena to curb corruption reveal a strong political will to eradicate corruption and other malpractices from our motherland, which is indeed laudable.

(The writer is an Attorney-at-Law with LLB, LLM, MPhil.(Colombo)-keerthisinghel@yahoo.co.uk)