Progress in COPE probe

Disna Mudalige

* Bribery Commission, CID officials to be summoned

* Former Heads of State, bodies too to be made liable

Officials of the Bribery and Corruption Commission and Criminal Investigation Department (CID) will be summoned before the Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) when necessary to inquire into the progress of the investigations directed to the Commission and CID by COPE, Human Resources Senior Minister and COPE chairman D E W Gunasekara said.

He had suggested this move at a special meeting held at the Parliament complex with the Secretary to the President Lalith Weeratunga, International Monetary Cooperation Senior Minister Dr Sarath Amunugama, ministry secretaries and the Auditor General recently. The senior minister told the Daily News that he made this suggestion since COPE had not received responses from the Bribery

Commission and CID over some of the inquiries referred to them.

The senior minister said it was also discussed to amend the Standing Orders of Parliament as a preliminary measure to enable to summon before COPE, the former chairmen and other senior officials of the state enterprises even after their retirement to question on the allegations during their tenure.

Senior Minister Gunasekara said that he had also recommended this initiative in the COPE report submitted to Parliament last month. He observed that under the present regulations, COPE has no permission to take action if the former chairmen of state enterprises did not appear before COPE after being called. He noted that the amendments to the Standing Orders are proposed to vest this power to COPE.