28 March, 2024

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MP Car Permits Abuse: Right Activist Rejects AG’s Undertaking To Inquire Into The Fraud

When the MP tax-free car permit abuse case taken up for support yesterday the Senior Deputy Solicitor General Viraj Dayarathne, informed the bench comprising of the judges Sisira de Abrew, Priyantha Jayawardena and presided over by the Chief Justice Priyasath Dep that the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) has already decided to inquire into complaint made by the activist Nagananda Kodituwakku. He said that therefore the Petitioner should withdraw the case, as the purpose of initiating the case (for a court order compelling the Corruption Commission to inquire into the MP Car permit abuse) has already been served by the Commission.

Nagananda Kodituwakku

In reply the activist informed the Court that the people of Sri Lanka have no trust and confidence in the CIABOC as its conduct has proved that the members of the commission have simply performed the office to serve those holding office in the Executive. Citing Chief Justice Shirani Bandaranayake’s case the activist informed the Court that the CIABOC has lost its credibility as it had simply performed the office to please the Executive. The Court was informed that the CJ Bandaranayake was charged on 3 counts by the CIABOC before the Chief Magistrate Court Colombo. And after the CJ was removed from the office the very same CIABOC withdrew all falsified charges made against her. Therefore, the Activist informed the Court that he has no confidence at all in the Corruption Commission and requested the permission of the Court to proceed with the matter ensuring justice for the people.

The activist further informed the Court that all tax-free car permits issued to MPs and Cabinet Ministers are invalid, as they have been issued in January to March 2016 with no legal sanction whatsoever, whereas the permission to issue tax exemption was granted under the law only in the month of May 2016. Therefore, the activist informed the Court that the tax component evaded on 111 vehicles already imported on such permits shall be recovered and that 45 MPs who have sold their permits on which private individuals have registered vehicles imported on those permits evading the payment tax running into over 33.5 million shall be dealt with for corruption.

The activist further informed the Court that he had made inquiries from the Customs and the Commissioner General of Department of Motor Traffic and found that the Corruption Commission has not even stepped into those offices and no investigation has been commenced on the matter and that the submissions made before the Court on its behalf by the Senior Deputy Solicitor General are clearly unfounded and amount to misleading the Court and the people on whose behalf the said action has been initiated.

The Senior Deputy Solicitor General, Viraj Dayarathne then informed the Court that some time back the Court had dismissed a similar writ application filed by the activist and in reply the activist Nagananda Kodituwakku informed the Court, citing a decided case law that in the Republic of Sri Lanka, the Sovereignty is in the people and the Attorney General is under duty to represent and act for the people and not to defend the corrupt people holding public office in the Executive and the Legislature. And the activist strongly defended the importance of conducting an independent and credible inquiry into the revenue fraud involving MP tax-free car permits running into over 7 billion rupees.

Having heard the submission the Court finally fixed the matter for a hearing on 09th of May 2017.

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Latest comments

  • 7
    3

    Poor Sujeeva. and the 44 others who became Ruppiah Millionaires thanks to Yahapalana Car Permits.

    Will they be remanded or Dr Rani’s F*******CID just send them a kind request to pay it back to the Yahapalana Treasurer.

    • 14
      2

      Why only the Sinhala politicians are involved in fraud repeatedly ??

      • 1
        1

        Mr.Rishard did a Billion Rs damage – where did all the tree logs go?
        and Arabic Billionaires use to give millions of $$$ when someone show them spreading Islam,.
        so you make them happy and cash their happy mood,. in that case Rishard showed these model Islam villages and took funds ?

        Not only Sinhala politicians do fraud. low life ppl when entered politics does fraud,. you put them in police dept,. they will take bribe,. you put them in airport they will help human trafficking for money,. you put them in a fuel station they will steal diesel :)

        Like Mahinda / Wimal they know how to talk and make the public fear and make their blood boil,. this is step one of stealing votes,. now when people reward them for their cunning words,. those type of ppl will become politicians,. and robe the nation stealing everyone’s benefits,

        They will reward news agencies and even deploy agents to manipulate social media and news comments attacking good people and good politicians with fake news,. a kind of smart politics for a bad future for the nation.

    • 3
      0

      Dear Nagananda Kodituwakku,

      RE: MP Car Permits Abuse: Right Activist Rejects AG’s Undertaking To Inquire Into The Fraud

      “In reply the activist informed the Court that the people of Sri Lanka have no trust and confidence in the CIABOC as its conduct has proved that the members of the commission have simply performed the office to serve those holding office in the Executive.”

      “Therefore, the Activist informed the Court that he has no confidence at all in the Corruption Commission and requested the permission of the Court to proceed with the matter ensuring justice for the people.”

      “citing a decided case law that in the Republic of Sri Lanka, the Sovereignty is in the people and the Attorney General is under duty to represent and act for the people and not to defend the corrupt people holding public office in the Executive and the Legislature. “

      Yes. Thank you, Sir, for pursing this issue. Please do. The people , who are being taxed, are behind you.

      • 0
        0

        “”””” Corruption Commission has not even stepped into those offices and
        no investigation has been commenced on the matter and
        that the submissions made before the Court on its behalf by the Senior Deputy Solicitor General are
        clearly unfounded and
        amount to misleading the Court””””””..

        this is typical Sri Lankan Style Investigations to Cheat people and save no baked [ not half baked ] thugs and thieves at diyavannaoya den.
        still be prepared to pay for their Sins wit our taxz money.

      • 0
        0

        “”””” Corruption Commission has not even stepped into those offices and
        no investigation has been commenced on the matter and
        that the submissions made before the Court on its behalf by the Senior Deputy Solicitor General are
        clearly unfounded and
        amount to misleading the Court””””””..

        this is typical Sri Lankan Style Investigations to Cheat people and save no baked [ not half baked ] thugs and thieves at diyavannaoya den.
        still we must be prepared to pay for their Sins with our taxz money.

  • 37
    0

    We should thank Naga and appriciate his efforts. It is quite rare that professionals get involved in their fields of speciality and spend time free for the benifit of general public.

    Most either become arm chair critics or others such as Doctors use their positions to scare the governments to enhance their perks.

    In such a background Naga’s efforts​ are unique.

    WELL DONE NAGA. KEEP IT UP.

  • 0
    4

    Nagananda Kodituwakku:

    Vote reducarion and informing voters are important.

    • 5
      1

      Why all these frauds are only committed by Sinhala politicians ??

  • 21
    0

    BRAVO! Keep up your excellent work Mr. Kodituwakku!
    All right thinking people of Sri Lanka are with and and support you 100 percent.

    The culture of impunity and immunity for Financial Crimes against the people of Sri Lanka – enjoyed and expanded by Ranil Wickramasinghe and by Corrupt Politicians of the Diyawenna Parliament of Majority Morons must END.

  • 10
    0

    Thank you, I hope this will be the gateway to exposing to the world that sri lanka is a lawless country. Reconciliation is meaningless if the country is law less. Diyawanna oya, Police, Attorney generals office are the most corrupt institutions. You have a spineless IGP as seen on video virtually on his knees when speaking to a alleged minister who clams he is a part of yahapalanaya. The answer to all ills is meditation. This reflects the ahem hamuduruwane mentality of the Public Service,
    Expose the bloody parliament,PM.Ministers should be carried out relentlessly.

  • 14
    0

    Thank you Nagananda Kodituwakku. You have given Lankans hope.

    Another two or three activists of Naga’s caliber can clean up Lanka and inspire India and even Pakistan!

  • 11
    0

    Sri Lanka’s Attorney-General’s Department is not independent and had never been independent. It only serves the government in power.

    In this particular case those against whom the petition is filed are only Members of Parliament and include both Government MPs and MPs from the Opposition parties. It is not an action against the government in power per se. Still, the Attorney-General’s Department is intervening to get the Supreme Court to throw out Nagananda’s case giving a lame excuse that CIABOC is going to investigate the alleged corruption?

    Nagananda is correct in his argument that “sovereignty is in the people and the Attorney General is under duty to represent and act for the people and not to defend the corrupt people holding public office in the Executive and the Legislature.”

    But, I don’t know whether the Supreme Court will listen to his argument. I will not be surprised if the case is thrown out by the SC on some technical grounds.

    • 0
      0

      This is why it is high time for us to elect our own public prosecutors independent of political parties! We need to elect proven prosecution lawyers to these posts to get rid of the political pigs.

  • 11
    0

    Hats off to N Kodituwakku for taking a bold step to expose the irregular acts of our law makers. At the end everything may be swept under the carpet but if the judiciary directs that the buyers of these vehicles should pay the due taxes, it will be a sweet victory. Also here is an opportunity for our media to follow and report the court proceedings and bring it to the homes of our voters so that they will know the kind of people whom we send to the parliament. Government and Opposition members are united to fleece the country of much needed finance to run the day to day operations. While the population is strangled with heavy tax burdens the so called peoples representatives are making merry and fattening their purses completely forgetting why they were elected. If the University Dons and students, Doctors and Nurses, public minded activists get on to the roads to protest against these corrupt acts of our politicians instead of issues like SAITM, the whole country will get out on the road.

  • 13
    0

    If we select dogs from each constituency to represent at the parliament, Sri Lanka’s wastage will drop by 99.9%.

  • 6
    0

    This rot started to set in only after 1977, thanks so much to yankee dickey. We can go on complaining about the state of affairs in this country going to the dogs, till the cows come home but the sad situation will not change. It is imperative that the intellectuals in this country come out with a constitution which would do away with local henchmen of politicians at the top selecting candidates for us to vote for, and promoting a system where we the voters select who we should send as our representatives initially to the local government bodies. There is a page on FB titled Fine Tuning Democracy elaborating on this system for anyone to check out.

  • 11
    0

    The MS-RW Govt: have told the UNHCR that the Judiciary is now fully independent. The Proof of the Pudding is in the eating! Lets see how the Supreme Court will adjudicate on this issue.
    Nagananda is by no means a voice in the wilderness.He is the voice of the People!

  • 8
    0

    Mr Nagananda Kodituwakku

    Keep up the good work & don’t give up the fight.

    Nobody complained when JR first introduced the tax free permits for MPs. Instead other public servants wanted the same privilege & the powerful GMOA led the way. It has always been a selfish act by the privileged Govt. officers to gain an advantage over the ordinary people which has now escalated into a multi million rupee, corrupt practice, legalized by the previous regime. This blatant abuse of privileges must be stopped & I am sure you will have the full support of all the law abiding public spirited citizens of SL.

    This duty free permit system is unique to SL. Of course, Ministers in other countries are given a vehicle for official & private use but it does not belong to the person. Ordinary MPs are not given a govt. vehicle but can claim traveling expenses while on official duty. Certainly, MPs in SL could have an official vehicle but it should belong to the state. If I am not mistaken, even Indian MPs travel in State owned & locally built Hindustans but in SL there has always been a fascination for 4×4 SUV, from Pajeros to now, Land Cruisers, & making a few millions in the process for which the citizens of SL have to pay for in the form of exorbitant duty on normal vehicles & other forms of stealth taxes on goods & services.

    Yahapalanya, what hypocrisy.

  • 5
    1

    Get up stand up,
    Fight for your right
    Get up stand up,
    Don’t give up the fight.

    Keep it up Naga!

  • 3
    0

    You are absolutely right Nagananda, and bully for you, for standing up against these corrupt individuals, including this fella Senior Deputy Solicitor General, Viraj Dayarathne. He has not got a clue as to what his role is; like a ‘Sekkuwa’ he turns whichever direction the corrupted turns him. Wish and hope that the Courts see some sense, but I would not be surprised if they act differently: Sri Lankan justice I

  • 0
    0

    A state’s Attorney General defending blatant corruption of law makers instead of prosecuting them, may be happening only in Sri Lanka.

  • 0
    0

    Why cannot our MPs travel in smaller cars say below Rs. 10 Million where the duty loss to the Govt will be less.

    • 1
      0

      If not for the vehicle they have no personality.

  • 2
    0

    Good work. Keep it up.

    When reading this something crossed my mind.

    45 MP’s have sold their permits for undisclosed amounts. Has the IRD been on their case to collect income taxes on the sale of permit from these 45 MP’s ?

    Has the IRD investigated the buyers of these vehicles to assess their surce of income and how they found the funds to purchase the permits and the vehicles

    Just a thought…

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