Former MP Nandana Gunathilaka, who recently alleged that Bribery Commission Director General Ranga Dissanayake was a member of the JVP Legal Committee, has announced that his immediate priority will be to challenge Dissanayake’s appointment in court before addressing the JVP-related claim.

Gunathilaka made this statement on Facebook, responding to the CIABOC Director General’s media briefing, during which Dissanayake dismissed the allegations levelled against him.

“I thank you for the conduct over the past two months that compelled me to study in detail the law governing the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption, the process of appointing its Director General, and related legal matters.

I am also grateful that you did not at that time engage in any behaviour that would have required me to examine the disqualifications applicable when assuming office as a judge.

As an ordinary citizen, I must thank you again for sparking in me an interest in studying this law and its provisions — an interest I did not previously have.

Therefore, before questioning your alleged involvement with the JVP Legal Committee, I will first go before the judiciary to challenge the legality of your appointment.

Finally, I reiterate that my criticism of your unsuitability and the serious legal disqualification concerning your appointment, as well as the allegations raised by others in society, do not in any way implicate the other officials of the Bribery Commission. These matters pertain solely and entirely to your personal misconduct,” Gunathilaka said.