Director General of the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC), Ranga Dissanayake, today (2 October) strongly rejected claims made by former MP Nandana Gunathilaka that he was a member of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna’s (JVP) legal committee.

Addressing a press conference, Dissanayake described the allegation as a deliberate attempt to tarnish his reputation and undermine public trust in the Commission.

“This is an organised attempt. From time to time, certain individuals raise such baseless accusations targeting me, in order to damage the image of the Commission and distract it from its primary duty. People often ask us whether we should file cases against such remarks, but if we chase after every false claim, our programmes against corruption will be disrupted. That is exactly what they want — to sabotage our work,” he said.

Referring to Gunathilaka’s allegation, Dissanayake pointed out that his judicial career itself disproved the claim.

“In 2004 I became a Magistrate, in 2020 a High Court Judge, and in 2025 I was appointed DG of CIABOC on secondment. If I had been an active political party member, I would never have been suitable for appointment as a Magistrate. For 20 years no one made such a complaint to the Judicial Service Commission (JSC). I categorically deny ever being in such a committee,” he said.

Dissanayake urged Gunathilaka to follow proper legal procedure if he believes his claims are true.

“He should submit his allegations with documents to the JSC. He can also take them to the Constitutional Council, which approved my appointment after reviewing all disclosures I made. Simply telling lies and challenging me to disprove them is not how the law works. The burden of proof lies with him,” he stressed.

Responding to another allegation that he lifted the travel ban imposed on former Central Bank Governor Arjuna Mahendran, Dissanayake said, “That is completely false. In fact, I was the one who issued warrants against Arjuna Mahendran, Ravi Karunanayake and others in connection with the Central Bank bond scam in 2018 when I was Fort Magistrate.”

He added that if anyone has allegations of judicial misconduct against him, they must be submitted to the JSC.

“If such misconduct occurred, it would have been before 2018 when I was Colombo Chief Magistrate. No such complaints were made then, and none have been made for the past eight years. Their intention now is clear — to damage the credibility of the Bribery Commission.”

Dissanayake also responded to remarks made by MP Udaya Gammanpila, who claimed he had violated Section 19 of the Anti-Corruption Act.

“If I had violated the Act, why did the Constitutional Council appoint me? I revealed all relevant details to them before my appointment. If Gammanpila or Gunathilaka have genuine concerns, they can make complaints to the CC,” he said.

The DG stressed that the CIABOC is operating with limited staff and resources and cannot afford to divert its attention to fighting malicious claims.

“After reviewing these, the Commission has come to the stance that these allegations are not merely directed at me personally but at the Commission itself. Therefore, the commission will take them seriously, and take further steps regarding these false and sinister attempts. Our focus, however, will remain on fighting corruption,” he said.