Former President Ranil Wickremesinghe has been summoned to appear before the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) on 17 April on 9.30 a.m. in connection with a bribery case filed against MP Chamara Sampath Dassanayake.

In a statement, Wickremesinghe clarified that during Dassanayake’s tenure as Chief Minister of Uva Province, the withdrawal of provincial council funds from banks was carried out in accordance with a government-issued circular. He stated that the circular had been issued by the Treasury Secretary with the knowledge of then President Maithripala Sirisena and himself, who was Prime Minister at the time.

He further noted that the Uva Provincial Council was not alone in this practice, adding that several other provincial councils had also withdrawn funds in line with the same directive.

Wickremesinghe also called on Parliament to investigate whether Dassanayake’s parliamentary privileges had been violated. “Chamara Sampath is active in Parliament and does an effective job as an opposition MP. His active role in Parliament may have led to his arrest. Therefore, I request Parliament to conduct a probe on it,” he said.

He also pointed out that although a complaint was lodged against Dassanayake by Minister Samantha Vidyaratne, the Bribery Commission had neither found him guilty nor named him a suspect.

Wickremesinghe questioned the circumstances surrounding the MP’s arrest, particularly highlighting that it took place while Dassanayake was giving a statement.