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CBK brought before political victimisation commission

19 Jan 2022

  • Former Prez records three-hour-long statement
  • Claims ‘vengeance’ as motive for sudden summoning
BY Buddhika Samaraweera Former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga, who was instrumental in bringing the previous Yahapalanaya (good governance) United National Front (UNF)-led Government to power, appeared before the Special Presidential Commission of Inquiry (SPCoI) appointed to implement the recommendations of the final report of the PCoI into alleged Political Victimisation, yesterday (19). She gave a nearly three-hour-long statement before the SPCoI at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall in Colombo last afternoon. After giving the statement to the SPCoI, she told the media that she was not summoned during the hearings of the PCoI into Political Victimisation, but was summoned after its work was over in order to exact revenge on her. “I said that I do not accept the contents of the PCoI. When the PCoI was hearing evidence, the leaders of the previous UNF-led Government were summoned for months. However, I was not asked to come at that time as there was no evidence against me. All of a sudden, I’m called to appear before this SPCoI. This is an attempt to take revenge on me,” she claimed. Kumaratunga further stated that she was informed to appear before the SPCoI a few days after issuing a statement regarding the recent incident that took place during the graduation ceremony held at the Colombo University (UoC), where several graduates refused to obtain their degree certificates from recently appointed UoC Chancellor Ven. Muruththettuwe Ananda Thera. Speaking further, she said that the appointment of the PCoI into Political Victimisation itself was a joke. She noted that incidents of theft, murder, and the misappropriation of property of the country and the people were properly investigated and prosecuted in a fair manner during the tenure of the previous UNF-led Government. “After fair trials, some were found guilty. Those who were convicted were released under the incumbent Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna-led Government. The present Government released several persons while the cases against those accused of theft, various corruption, and frauds were being heard.”  Claiming that the PCoI had been set up to take actions against the officials who enforced the law against the suspects on various charges, Kumaratunga said that such incidents do not take place in any other country. “The honest police officers who enforced the law against the criminals were imprisoned. It is an insult to the supreme law, the Judiciary, and the Police of our country. How can a country move forward when such things are happening?” she queried. In November 2014, Kumaratunga formally announced her return to active politics at a press conference held by the country’s Opposition coalition, following weeks of speculation regarding her involvement in the said coalition’s decision making. She endorsed Maithripala Sirisena as the common candidate of the Opposition in the 2015 Presidential Election, who went on to defeat Mahinda Rajapaksa.  


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