Anti-Corruption Secretariat has not delivered results: Rajitha

The Anti-Corruption Secretariat has not delivered results as expected, Co-cabinet spokesperson, Minister Rajitha Senaratne said addressing the Cabinet media briefing at the Government Information Department yesterday. The minister explaining as to why the Cabinet did not extend the Secretariat’s term which had expired on June 30. He said: “The government spent Rs. 65 million on the secretariat, but we have not seen it achieve much”.

When questioned whether the Government decided to shut the secretariat down, the Health Minister said it was only supposed to be set up for a year.

“The Cabinet paper to establish the secretariat was in February 2015. When its term expired in November, it was given another six month extension until June 30,” he said.

The minister said the task of the secretariat was to prepare documentation and direct complaints of corruption to other investigating agencies.

“We have 14 government agencies to investigate into corruption. What the secretariat needed to do was to prioritise the cases, but they have sent everything to the FCID,” the minister said.

“The FCID was formed to investigate into large scale corruption, he said.

Meanwhile, Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Minister Mahinda Amaraweera had remarked that given the achievements of the previous regime, its main actors should be forgiven for their corrupt practices. Minister Senaratne responding to the comment, however, said that the Cabinet or ministers had no power to pardon anyone. It was up to the courts to pardon or not, he said.