The Hon. (Dr.) Harini Amarasuriya

¶ 01 Mr. Speaker, the reply is as follows.

¶ 02 (a) (i) As per Cabinet Memoranda presented by the then Prime Minister Hon. Ranil Wickremesinghe dated 2015.01.21 and by the then Minister of Power and Energy Hon. Patali Champika Ranawaka dated 2015.01.21, bearing Nos. AMPM/15/0005/602/0002 and AMP/15/0003/615/002 respectively, and the Cabinet Decisions dated 2015.01.21, the Anti-Corruption Committee was established.

¶ 03 Further, based on the Cabinet Memorandum by the then Prime Minister to “establish a Secretariat for the Anti-Corruption Committee and recruit suitable staff,” dated 2015.02.06 (No. AMP/15/0066/602/002 - I), and the Cabinet Decision dated 2015.02.11, a Secretariat for the Anti-Corruption Committee was established.

¶ 04 While it is not explicitly stated that the Committee and its Secretariat were established under the Prime Minister’s Office, the Cabinet entrusted the implementation of decisions relating to the Office to the Secretary to the Prime Minister.

¶ 05 (ii) The Memorandum is presented as Annex 01 and the Decision as Annex 02.

¶ 06 (iii) As per the Cabinet decision establishing the Committee, 14 members were appointed.

¶ 07 (iv) The names of members as per the Cabinet Decision are as follows (addresses are not recorded in the files at the Prime Minister’s Office):

¶ 08 1. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe (Chairman) 2. Minister Mangala Samaraweera 3. Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka 4. Minister (Dr.) Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe 5. Minister Rauff Hakeem 6. Leader of the Democratic National Alliance, Sarath Fonseka 7. Leader of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), R. Sampanthan 8. MP M. A. Sumanthiran 9. Leader of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna, Anura Kumara Dissanayake 10. Attorney-at-Law J. C. Weliamuna 11. Dr. Jayampathy Wickramaratne 12. Malik Samarawickrama 13. Prof. Dhammika Ganganath Dissanayake 14. Committee Secretary

¶ 09 (v) As per the letter dated 2020.01.20 sent by former Director Ananda Wijepala of the Anti-Corruption Committee Secretariat to the Prime Minister’s Office, 475 complaints and 667 other complaints regarding administrative irregularities were received. (Annex 03)

¶ 10 (vi) Information on cases filed is not currently contained in the records available at the Prime Minister’s Office.

¶ 11 (b) (i) There is no information in the files currently at this Office indicating a person who held the post of Director General of the Anti-Corruption Committee.

¶ 12 (ii) Not applicable.

¶ 13 Additionally, approval for the staff cadre for the Secretariat established for the Anti-Corruption Committee, as per Cabinet Paper No. AMP/15/0168/602/002-11 dated 2015.02.27 and Cabinet Decision dated 2015.03.04, was obtained. (Annex 04)

¶ 14 The approved cadre does not include a post of Director General. (Annex 05)

¶ 15 Furthermore, in the documents currently available at the Prime Minister’s Office in relation to the Committee and Secretariat, there is no reference to a Director General post.

¶ 16 Annexes 01 to 05 are placed in the Library.