6 October 2021 03:57 pm Views - 1299
Claiming that the CID had failed to record a statement from the Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) official who made allegations against him over garlic scam, Trade Minister Bandula Gunawardane today requested Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena to order the IGP and the CID to conduct an impartial investigation into his complaint.
The Minister told parliament that there was a political conspiracy behind the garlic scam and that the CID had failed to record a statement from the CAA official who made allegations against him over the said scam.
"When I see the CID does not even record a statement from those who had made such allegations, and above that, when a lawmaker has lodged a complaint, whom should I take it to?" the Minister asked.
He said this while making a ministerial statement in response to a question raised by Opposition leader Sajith Premadasa on the garlic scam on Tuesday.
The Opposition MPs raised objections against Minister Gunawardane for making such a statement in the House saying that there was a pending case in court on the matter.
However, the Speaker granted him permission to make the statement excluding matters pertaining to the case.
Minister Gunawardane said there was a political conspiracy behind this allegation and added that it was the opposition that was trying to plant something called 'garlic scam'.(Ajith Siriwardana and Yohan Perera)