Justice Balapatabendi says without an iota of shame : I went to parliament to save Chamal my classmate - Believe it or not stories no longer exist only in Ripleys book, it exists even in Sri Lanka !
LEN logo(Lanka-e-News-01.June.2015, 6.00PM) Former judge Jagath
Balapatabendi who was appointed by the ex president Mahinda
Rajapakse the most deceitful and brutal of the leaders ever elected
by the people of Sri Lanka (SL) , as the chairman of the Bribery
and corruption commission has himself examined a petition filed
against him in the bribery and corruption commission, and said I am
cleanIt is common knowledge that it is this chairman , a
disgraceful unscrupulous lickspittle and lackey of Rajapakse regime
who is bundling all the copies of the heap of files of bribery and
corruption charges against the regime , and illicitly dispatching
them to Medamulana Rajapakses . The whole bribery and corruption
commission is fully aware of these unlawful activities of this
Bribery and corruption commissioner .It is well to recall that
recently , when Mahinda Rajapakse was summoned to the Bribery and
corruption commission to record evidence , with the permission of
the speaker of parliament , a brother of Mahinda , the parliament
,an August assembly was converted into a scene of bedlam by the
hoodlums of Mahinda who call themselves as parliamentary
representatives. They were even allowed to sleep on the carpets of
the parliament gallery after a liquor drinking orgy in the
vicinity.
On that occasion Balapatabendi specially rushed to parliament and
met the speaker . When the commissioners of the Bribery Commission
had a discussion , Balapatabendi was roundly criticized for his
shameless conduct. Balapatabendi s answer to them was as
reprehensible as his most wrongful conduct. He said , Since Chamal
my classmate was in trouble , I (Bala) went to parliament , and not
for any other reason. Balapatabendi by making this utterance had
clearly confirmed that he is a lickspittle who is ready even to
transform into an inanimate spittoon of the Rajapakses.Lank e news
inside information division is in possession of a report of the
secretarial minutes of the entire discussion involving this stooge
of a Bribery and corruption commissioner which clearly brings out
the true sordid nature of this commissioner, is given hereunder so
that the public who are in the dark shall know what a scoundrel he
is.Minutes of the meeting held on 22.04.2015 at 2 p.m. at the
AuditoriumPresent:
Chairman - Hon. Justice Jagath Balapatabendi
Commissioner 2- Hon. Justice L.M. Wimalachandra
Commissioner 3- Dr. Jayantha Wickramaratne
Director General- Mrs. Dilrukshi Dias Wickramasinghe, President
Counsel
Deputy Director General I- Mrs. Sunethra Jayasinghe
Deputy Director General II- Mrs. Ranjini Seneviratne
Director (Investigation)- SSP Mr. Somaweera
Additional Director (Investigation)- ASP Ruwan KumaraThe DG
informed that the purpose of this meeting was to discuss a letter
received from the Hon. Deputy Speaker of the Parliament dated
21.04.2015 and a minute of the Chairman placed in the said letter
by the Chairman. She said several issues has arisen while she was
overseas for an official commitment for 3 days from 19.04.2015 to
22.04.2015; especially she had read that the Chairman was summoned
to the Parliament by the Hon. Speaker.The Chairman then said that
around 3pm on 21.04.2015, whilst he was at his residence, he had
received a telephone call from the Secretary General of the
Parliament (Dhammika Dasanayake esqr) that the speaker had
requested the Chairman to come with the DG to the Parliament. He
had then informed that the DG was overseas and the Secretary
General had then told him that he will call him back after speaking
with the Hon. Speaker. Thereafter, the Hon. Speaker himself had
directly called him and had asked him to come to the Parliament. He
had then informed the Hon. Speaker that his driver had gone home
and therefore he had no way of coming. The Hon. Speaker had then
arranged a vehicle for him to go to the Parliament. At this
juncture C3 informed the Chairman that it was inappropriate for him
to have gone to the Parliament as this is an independent
Commission. The Chairman then explained his actions which created a
heated altercation between the Chairman and C3. The gist of C3s
argument was that the Chairman never called or informed C3 of the
Hon. Speakers request. Then C2 confirmed that he was not informed
too. He also said that the Commission consist of 2 other members
apart from the Chairman and he learnt that the Chairman had gone
before the Parliament only form the newspapers. He further said
that the Chairman should not have gone to the Parliament when the
Commission was the subject matter of discussion. C3 alluded that by
going to the Parliament, the Chairmen had compromised the
independence of the Commission. Retaliating, the Chairman defended
his attendance in the parliament by explaining that Hon. Speaker
was his classmate and that he never went to meet the Hon. Speaker
as Chairman of CIABOC but as a friend and classmate who was in a
difficult situation and only to help him. He said simply Chamal met
Bala for a chat in his chamber for an unofficial chat. The DG then
said the Hon. Speaker has said in Parliament that the Chairman had
given an assurance that he was willing to send CIABOC officers to
the residence of suspects in the future. The Chairmen strongly said
that he never discussed any matter of CIABOC nor gave any assurance
to the Hon. Speaker that he will send the investigation officers to
the Parliament to record statements. Indeed he said that Hon.
Justice Minister Wijedasa Rajapakshe is the one who gave that
assurance and that he had no knowledge of such assurance. He
further said that during that chat the Secretary General and the
Deputy Speaker was also present. C3 continued explaining that the
Chairman should not have gone to the Parliament even as a friend to
meet the Hon. Speaker when CIABOC was criticized in the Parliament
and repeatedly emphasized the necessity of maintaining the
independence of the Commission. Whilst the altercation continued
for over 15 minutes, DG intervened and said that if the meeting was
unofficial & if the Chairman did not represent CIABOC in the
Parliament nor discussed any matters relating to Hon. Tissa
Attanayake M.P.s investigation which seems to be the cause of the
agitation in Parliament, then there is no point of further
discussion on this matter. She then urged the Chairmen to make a
press statement setting out these facts.DG then said the
Parliamentarians made several allegation that she as DG is
arbitrarily conducting investigations and the Commissioners had no
knowledge of it especially, Hon. Tissa Attanayake M.P.s
investigation, especially when she had kept the Commission informed
of it. The Chairman then said he has no recollection of it and then
DG said she could remind him what transpired at the meeting held on
Friday, 17th April 2015, when she met the Commissioners in the
Chairmans office, (C2 absent) with DDG Sunethra Jayasinghe to
discuss several matters. She said at that meeting she informed the
Commissioners that Hon. Tissa Attanayake M.P.s investigation was at
the tail end and that the following week Hon. Tissa Attanayake M.P.
and the former President Mahinda Rajapakshas evidence would be
recorded. At that point Chairman said that before calling the
former President Mahinda Rajapaksha the investigating officers
(IOs) should be requested to meet the Commissioners. When the
Chairman requested to bring the IOs before the Commission, C3 then
informed that it is incorrect for the IOs to be brought before the
Commission as such procedures have never been followed and said to
let the IOs follow the usual procedure and send their report. C3
said after receiving the report the Commissioners could review it
and make a direction. DG also said that in all other investigations
that is how the business of the Commission is usually conducted.
Upon reminding the above the Chairman agreed that he remembered the
DG saying about Hon. Tissa Attanayakes case. C3 too agreed that he
said to Chairman, DDG Jayasing and the DG who was present that the
calling the IOs to be present before the Commission to appraise the
Commission regarding the former President Mahinda Rajapaksa and
Tissa Attanayake was not appropriate. Thereafter, the DG said she
would like to clarify the minute that had been put by the Chairman
in letter dated 21.04.2015 sent by the Deputy Speaker Chandima
Weerakkody, requesting his statement to be recorded in the
Parliament on 29.04.2015 at 9.30am relating to BC/1871/2008/B(61).
The minute of the Chairman said to comply with the Hon. Deputy
Speakers request and record his statement in the Parliament. The DG
suggested that in order to maintain the independence of the
Commission we must have a flexibility in recording statements and
give clear instructions in writing to the Investigation Division.
She said that there are three categories of people that are
investigated in a general investigations. Firstly, government
officials as witness; secondly, lay witness as corroborative
evidence; and thirdly, suspects where they are referred to as
subjects. DG explained that before she came a standard template and
procedure was adopted to inform either a witnesses or suspect to
come before the Commission. She said she continued to use the same
template and the procedure. However, she said that it is essential
to revisit the templates and the procedure considering the new
development in the Parliament and undertook to prepare the
templates and submit it for the consideration of the
Commission.
The DG also said that she had not received a communication from the
Parliament and the Chairman also confirmed that he had not received
any communication.
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by (2015-06-01 12:36:30)Posted byThavam