By The Pulseline News Desk
Leader of the House, Minister Bimal Ratnayake has withdrawn the names of three public officials from a list of 50 cases he had presented to Parliament earlier this month, acknowledging that their inclusion was not necessary to substantiate his argument.
Ratnayake has told Parliament that he had concerns about the inclusion of Roopawathi Keethiswaran, Thilan Wijesinghe and Jayantha Fernando, a former additional secretary to a ministry.
He has said it was unclear whether the three officials had been serving in government positions at the relevant time, adding that their names were not essential to the point he had sought to establish.
Ratnayake presented the list of 50 cases on October 8, outlining allegations and investigations involving politicians and public officials.
The list was intended to demonstrate that investigations into alleged wrongdoing had been initiated in previous years but had subsequently stalled or failed to make progress for various reasons.
Rejecting political revenge claims
Ratnayake has reiterated that the investigations cited in the list were not being pursued as acts of political revenge.
He has maintained that the cases and complaints predated the current Government and that their progress had been obstructed or delayed for various reasons.
The withdrawal of the three names comes as the Government faces scrutiny over investigations involving politicians and public officials, including questions about whether law enforcement agencies are acting independently and consistently.
By acknowledging concerns over the inclusion of the three officials, Ratnayake has said their names were unnecessary to support his broader argument about the status of previously initiated investigations.
The remaining cases on the list were not addressed in detail in the statement concerning the three names, and no further changes to the list were specified.
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