The President has revealed to the country how the Attorney General’s (AG) Department concealed certain case files in the past.
Addressing a public meeting held in the Pitipana area in Homagama on 25 January, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake added that a legal officer had told him that the relevant files were hidden until a government of this nature came to power.
“A female legal officer told me that certain files remained hidden. It was further said that, had legal action been taken at that time, the officer would have been sent home or the case would have been dismissed. She said that case files were kept until this kind of a government came to power. There are such people. That is how work is done. We should be grateful.”
The President said that such officials have been given the opportunity to perform their duties freely under his government. However, he did not reveal how many case files were hidden, the nature of crimes, and who they were related to.
“We cannot think that only we are right and everyone else is not right. That is not the case. There are people in this country who are enthusiastic. We have given them freedom. We do not choose cases, names, or individuals. We have informed the relevant institutions to conduct the investigations as they see fit, and we have confidence in them. What we are doing again and again is strengthening those institutions.”
Quoting the AG’s Department, President Dissanayake had further emphasized that the AG’s Department has planned to file three major cases this month. He stressed that cases cannot be filed just because the government has made a statement about such things.
“It is not us who have to go to court and present arguments. Those arguments are made by the state attorney. The state attorney should be satisfied that cases can be filed based on the outcomes of the investigation. No cases will be filed merely because we are seeking such action. There is no point in filing cases just because we are seeking them either, because the relevant attorney should go to the court and confirm the nature of the case and seek punishment regarding the same. Therefore, the necessary facts should be collected. That process is underway.”
During his speech, the President had further stated that he does not interfere with the affairs of law enforcement agencies including the Police when it comes to taking legal action against and arresting those involved in fraud and corruption.
The President did not mention whether any investigation was being carried out regarding the officials or politicians who had caused or influenced the hiding of case files.
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