Bribery Commission DG Resigns

COLOMBO (News 1st); Kanishka Wijeratne, the Director General of the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC), has submitted his resignation letter to President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, according to President's Counsel Uditha Egalahewa, who represented him in the Supreme Court today.

This announcement was made during the hearing of petitions filed by journalist Ruwini Fonseka and Transparency International Sri Lanka challenging Wijeratne's appointment.

The petitions were heard before a Supreme Court bench comprising Justices Preethi Padman Surasena, Janak de Silva, and Kumuduni Wickramasinghe.

The respondents in the petitions include the Director General of CIABOC and several others.

The petitioners argued that Wijeratne's appointment was illegal and unconstitutional, and sought its annulment.

During the hearing, President's Counsel Uditha Egalahewa stated that his client, Kanishka Wijeratne, had submitted his resignation letter to the President as he wished to return to judicial service.

The petitioners' counsel argued that the appointment violated the fundamental rights of their clients and the public.

After considering the arguments from both sides, the court granted permission to proceed with the examination of the petition.

President's Counsel Viran Corea and Saliya Peiris appeared on behalf of the petitioners, while Additional Solicitor General - President's Counsel Viraj Dayaratne represented the Attorney General.