The Hon. (Dr.) Ms. Kaushalya Ariyarathne

¶ 01 Thank you, Hon. Deputy Chairperson of Committees. Let me conclude by noting this as well.

¶ 02 We saw the other day a statement to the media by an Opposition MP, proudly saying “the CID is like my home.” In my view, that is not something to be proud of; it is something to be ashamed of, Hon. Deputy Chairperson. As Hon. Lakmali Hemachandra mentioned earlier, they keep going to court and making statements. We saw that in recent months those cases have been expedited.

¶ 03 Further, Hon. Mahinda Jayasinghe, the Deputy Minister, revealed that former First Lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa had been unfairly granted an eight-acre land in Imbulgoda, Gampaha. We also know, apart from the well-known houses in Malwana and Kataragama, there is a property in Orutota, Gampaha where Mr. Basil Rajapaksa maintained his office. There are many such properties. However, the large amounts of money that we cannot see, both in Sri Lanka and abroad, are an open secret. As we promised the people, we will use all the powers in this bill to recover the stolen money and return it to the people of this country. After the bill is passed, strong implementation is necessary, as is public awareness. The steps the Government will take in this regard will be informed by the Hon. Minister of Justice.