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by Wasantha Ramanayake

A UNP supporter filed a Writ application before the Court of Appeal seeking an order compelling the Bribery Commission and the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to forthwith investigate the bribery allegations made by President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga against Prime Minsiter Ranil Wickremasinghe when he was serving as the Minister of Education.

Petitioner Dharmadasa Gomez of Kelaniya cited Bribery Commission, CID, Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation (SLRC), The Chief Editor, Lankadeepa, and the Attorney General as respondents.

The petitoner claimed he was a lawyer and a UNP supporter of the Biyagama electorate where the Prime Minister was first elected to the Parliament.

He stated that the third and fourth respondents, SLRC and the Lankadeepa respectively telecast and published the said statement made by the President at a ceremony held in Anuradhapura on September 29, where she alleges that UNP Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe as the then Education Minister solicited a bribe.

The petitioner stated that the said allegation against his leader caused him a great pain of mind and prompted him to ascertain the truth of this allegation.

In a news release issued yesterday, the Presidential Secretariat denied that the President made a statement to this effect. The reports are false and baseless and have distorted the President's speech at Anuradhapura, it said.

What the President said was that a bribe of Rs.25,000 was required to admit a child to a school at one time, the release said. Her child had to stay at home for two months as she refused to give a Rs.25,000 bribe to admit him to Royal College.

"At no time in the speech did she implicate the Prime Minister personally or mention that he solicited a bribe through a broker," it added. 

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