Investigation reports totalling 4,014 on financial fraud and corruption committed by high ranking state officials, have been handed over to President Mahinda Rajapaksa, an officer of the Special Presidential Investigation Unit said. The reports, compiled by the Unit on complaints from the public during the last two and half years, have been handed over to the President through Presidential Secretary Lalith Weeratunga.
According to the officer of the Investigation Unit, they are not under any pressure to conduct the probes on public complaints and once the probe reports have been handed over to the Presidential Secretary, the Unit has no responsibility whatsoever on further action on those probe reports.
The unit said that it had received 1,316 complaints in 2010, 1,568 in 2011 and up to August this year, the number had shot up to 1,230.
The officer noted that although the Unit recommends the steps that should be taken on the probe reports, the final decision is with the Presidential Secretary and the President.
Meanwhile, Anura Dissanayake, JVP parliamentarian during a media briefing on August 16 charged that the President is making use of all Presidential Investigation Unit probe findings for political advantage.
Dissanayake stressed that the number of probes and the action taken against errant officials should be revealed to the country.- thesundayleader