Allegations of corruption against SOEs and public officers must be looked into: Bandula

• Suggests a separate legal arm has to be established to take disciplinary action against them when allegations are proved

By Sandun A Jayasekera

The political authority must promptly inquire if and when allegations of corruption are levelled against officials of State Owned Enterprises (SOEs) and public officers, Media, Transport and Highways Minister Bandula Gunawardena said and added a separate legal arm has to be established to take disciplinary action against them when allegations are proved, he added. 

In response to Daily Mirror on the failure of the government to take action against the Chairman and Director General of the Geological Survey and Mines Bureau (GSMB) for their alleged destruction of the environment by illegal sand mining at Safinagar in Trincomalee as exposed by a prominent news channel under its CIA programme, Minister Gunawardena said he would direct the attention of the Environment Minister Hafiz Nazeer Ahamed on the alleged misdeeds of the two. 

Addressing a news briefing held at the Information Department, he said if the political authority or top officials of the government fail to take action against the two, anyone can lodge a complaint with the CID.

The two fraudsters have obtained a vast extent of state land on the pretext of growing chillies. But no chillies have been grown but carried out a huge sand mining racket transporting sand to various parts of the country as exposed by the CIA programme of the TV channel. 

“The Environment Minister has failed to take action against these two corrupt officials even after a section of the top officials and employees of the GSMB expressed their displeasure and were reluctant to work under them. The public are wondering as to whether a portion of the ill lucre raised from this illegal sand mining racket goes to the politicians or officials who protect them,” the journalist said.

However, the authorities of the GSMB has reportedly taken steps to call for an explanation from the officials who exposed the illegal sand mining racket of the top two officials of the GSMB, the Daily Mirror learns. 

• The two fraudsters have obtained a vast extent of state land on the pretext of growing chillies