No official notice or summons has been received by former President Mahinda Rajapaksa from the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) requesting him to provide a statement in connection with the Airbus deal investigations, his media spokesman Attorney-at-Law Manoj Gamage said.
Speaking to the media on 3 May, Gamage stated that Rajapaksa had not received any formal communication from CIABOC to appear before the commission.
Former Minister Piyankara Jayaratne also said that he had not received any such notification in relation to the matter.
Gamage further alleged that, in instances where individuals are to be summoned, information is sometimes communicated to selected media outlets instead of being formally conveyed to the relevant parties, adding that such actions raise questions about the intent behind the process.
He maintained that the Rajapaksa camp would not be intimidated by what he described as political actions, and would respond through legal means if and when required.
Gamage also criticised the commission’s approach, claiming that while CIABOC appeared to be acting with particular interest in matters involving Rajapaksa, investigations had not been initiated into other serious allegations levelled against the current Government, including those related to coal procurement, container transactions, and alleged dollar fraud.
He stressed that CIABOC operates using public funds and not those of political authorities, and called on the commission to prioritise independent investigations into large-scale corruption rather than what he characterised as politically motivated pursuits.
