• CIABOC notifies CPABCW that matter will be investigated
• Thushara claims deployment of some officers done during previous admins. needs to be checked

The Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) has decided to launch an investigation into the alleged misuse of officers attached to the Ministerial Security Division (MSD).

The move comes following a complaint lodged by Citizens Power Against Bribery, Corruption, and Waste (CPABCW) President Kamantha Thushara on 3 October 2024. In a written response, CIABOC has informed him that the matter will be investigated.

Speaking to The Daily Morning, Thushara said that, as a policy, security is assigned only after a proper assessment of threat levels, but in the past, officers had been allocated to individuals without any such evaluations.

“Police officers and other MSD personnel have been assigned in this manner. When the current Government took office, it recalled a large number of such officers, and the lists released to the media at that time showed various irregularities,” he noted.

He said that the documents revealed that security officers had even been allocated to the wives of deceased Members of Parliament, and in some cases, female officers had been assigned to certain male MPs. “These deployments were not made through the proper procedure. Investigations should be launched into both the high-level parties that made such assignments and the individuals who benefited from them. The losses caused to the Government should be recovered.”

As part of its fiscal programme presented during the Presidential and Parliamentary (General) Election campaigns, the current National People’s Power (NPP) Government has introduced several measures to cut unnecessary state expenditure. Among these steps was the recall of MSD officers who had been assigned beyond official guidelines, a move the Government stated was aimed at rationalising the use of Police and security resources.

Attempts to contact the Ministry of Public Security and CIABOC regarding the allegations made, failed.