A Brief Colonial History Of Ceylon(SriLanka)
Sri Lanka: One Island Two Nations
A Brief Colonial History Of Ceylon(SriLanka)
Sri Lanka: One Island Two Nations
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Thiranjala Weerasinghe sj.- One Island Two Nations
?????????????????????????????????????????????????Saturday, May 13, 2017
Ninety MPs’ vehicles sold, SC told- Petition against CIABO
By Shamindra Ferdinando-May 12, 2017, 10:31 pm
All
data pertaining to 90 sitting members of parliament transferring the
ownership of vehicles imported by them in accordance with a specially
implemented tax free car permit scheme have been brought to the notice
of the Supreme Court.
Attorney-at-law and public interest litigation activist Nagananda
Kodituwakku yesterday filed the material relevant to his Dec 2016
petition against the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or
Corruption (CIABOC). The SC has been moved over the CIABOC’s failure to
take tangible measures against those who had transferred vehicles.
Fresh information obtained from the Commissioner General of Motor
Traffic in accordance with the Right to Information (RTI) Act has
revealed the identities of members of all political parties, excluding
the JVP, who had transferred vehicles. Members had received tax
exceptions to the tune of over Rs 30 mn with one Vanni District MP
receiving nearly Rs 45 mn tax exemption.
Parliament unanimously adopted RTI Bill on June 24, last year.
Kodituwakku, who holds Sri Lankan and British citizenship has asserted
that the abuse of the MPs’ office for ‘unjust enrichment’ tantamount to a
punishable offense under Section 70 of the CIABOC Act.
According to documents filed in SC among those who had transferred their
vehicles were members of the Joint Opposition (JO) loyal to former
President Mahinda Rajapaksa.
Kodituwakku moved SC in Dec 2016 after the CIABOC declined to act on a
complaint made in August 2016 in respect of MPs transferring their
vehicles. The CIABOC has declined to initiate action on the basis that
the scheme was implemented in line with state policy.
The petitioner has requested the SC to take into consideration that two
judges of Supreme Court had earlier indicated their decision not to hear
cases initiated by him before the SC when appointing a Bench in respect
of the ongoing case.
Information furnished before the SC revealed that MPs had continued to
transfer vehicles even after the matter was taken up in SC.
The SC has been told the scheme caused revenue losses amounting to Rs 7
bn in respect of those who had received permits following the Aug 2015
parliamentary polls.