Colombo High Court has summoned Energy Minister Kumara Jayakody to appear in court today (27) to face indictment in a corruption case filed by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC). The case, brought under Section 70 of the Bribery Act, alleges government losses of Rs. 8,859,708.
Kumara Jayakody Indicted on Corruption Charges
National List (NL) MP Jayakody is the first minister or politician at any level of the NPP to be indicted for corruption. The NPP parliamentary group consists of 159 members, including 18 NL members.
The summons was issued by High Court judge Rashantha Godawalage. Unlike previous CIABOC investigations, where suspects were arrested and produced before Magistrate courts, Minister Jayakody has been directly summoned by the Colombo High Court.
The investigation into alleged corruption during procurement at the Ceylon Fertilizer Corporation (CFC) began after the change of government in 2015. The alleged incident occurred in early 2014, while Jayakody served as CFC’s Procurement Manager.
Parliament recently announced a debate on a no-faith motion against Minister Jayakody regarding alleged irregularities in the procurement of substandard coal for the Norochcholai power station.
SJB MP Mujibur Rahman stated that the NPP, having campaigned on an anti-corruption platform, could not shield Minister Jayakody. He argued that the 2014 indictment and the minister’s current performance as Energy Minister should not be considered separately.
Rahman questioned whether the NPP would protect Jayakody at the expense of the government, suggesting it would be difficult to retain him in the cabinet if formally charged. SJB lawmaker S.M. Marrikar recently warned Jayakody to prepare for a potential jail term, linking it to the coal procurement irregularities and a possible 18 percent increase in electricity tariffs due to a diesel shortage.
Rahman noted a previous case of a sitting minister charged under the Bribery Act while serving as a government servant. He indicated plans to intensify the campaign against the government based on this case and the outcome of the no-faith motion, acknowledging the NPP likely has the votes to defeat the motion but would face public criticism for doing so.
Rahman alleged that CIABOC granted Jayakody special treatment, contrasting his direct summons to the High Court with the previous practice of arrests and public humiliation for other indicted individuals. He also questioned whether the Bar Association of Sri Lanka would respond to this development.
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