SriLankan corruption report to be made public – President

The report of the probe into corruption in SriLankan Airlines will be provided to Parliament and released to the public, President Maithripala Sirisena promised yesterday, confirming that he had already received the report from the investigating committee.

Addressing a function at Siripura Central Maha Vidyalaya, Polonnaruva, yesterday, the President declared that he did not take the office of the President to protect certain individuals but to protect the people of the country.

“My policy is to cast out fraud and corruption, and to ensure that the rule of law takes its course for everyone in the same way, from the lowest to the highest ranks and from the highest to the lowest,” he said.

The President officiated at a special function to confer land deeds to 8000 settlers of the Mahaweli Development region.

The President said he was elected to the Presidency to fight corruption, malpractices and fraud and those who supported him to come into power as well as those who despised him at the time are now attacking him in concert.

“It does not matter to me whether you are from the Government or from the Opposition because my focus will be on your actions, whether you have been a perpetrator of corruption or not. You will be treated accordingly and which side you are on is immaterial to me,” he said. The President ceremonially distributed a number of deeds to Mahaweli settlers to mark the land deed awarding event.

He said he will perform his duties by the public whatever the challenges or the difficulty of circumstances.

He said that he was least concerned about the NGOs which have gone to Courts over actions he had taken against drug criminals. The President insisted that he had reason to believe that drug criminals had connections with the terrorists that carried out 21 Easter bombings. (CW)

(Source: Daily News)