{"id":196294,"date":"2018-11-25T23:49:53","date_gmt":"2018-11-25T18:19:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/?p=196294"},"modified":"2018-11-25T23:49:53","modified_gmt":"2018-11-25T18:19:53","slug":"sagala-hits-back-at-sirisena-president-meddled-with-high-profile-investigations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/sagala-hits-back-at-sirisena-president-meddled-with-high-profile-investigations\/","title":{"rendered":"Sagala Hits Back At Sirisena: “President Meddled With High-Profile Investigations”"},"content":{"rendered":"

Responding strongly to President Maithripala Sirisena<\/a><\/strong>‘s allegations on protecting wrongdoers of the Rajapaksa regime, former Law and Order Minister Sagala Ratnayaka<\/a><\/strong> said it was Sirisena who stood in the way of investigations.<\/p>\n

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Sirisena<\/p><\/div>\n

“As a responsible Cabinet minister, I have never spoken in public about instances where there was high profile interference with the high-profile investigations. But if President Sirisena\u2019s wild allegations continue, I will be forced to divulge details on who interfered, when, where and how,” Ratnayaka said.<\/p>\n

“The IGP’s recent letter to the Secretary Defence over the transfer of CID officer Nishantha Silva (currently the public domain) clearly states that President Sirisena gave the order. This is a clear example of the President’s interference in action – a recurring habit these past three and a half years,” he also added.<\/p>\n

When asked by foreign correspondents in Colombo as to why his government did not take action on wrongdoers of the previous regime, Sirisena said Wickemesinghe and former Law and Order Minister should be held responsible for that.<\/p>\n

President Sirisena, the architect of the current political crisis in Sri Lanka, today said he would never appoint Ranil Wickremesinghe<\/a><\/strong> the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, in his lifetime.<\/p>\n

“Even if the Judiciary decides that the premiership should go to the UNP, I will not appoint Wickremesinghe the Prime Minister again,” Sirisena said addressing a meeting with the Foreign Correspondents Association in Sri Lanka earlier today.<\/p>\n

“I have clearly asked the UNP not to suggest his name again,” Sirisena said. “As much as there are laws and constitutions, there is something called traditions. The Prime Minister is someone who can work with me.”<\/p>\n

Sirisena also said the government he led since January 08, 2015 was plagued with corruption, due to the actions of Prime Minister Wickremesinghe. “I will appoint a Presidential Commission to look into the rampant corruption in the previous administrations. There are bigger and deeper cases than the Treasury bonds scam.”<\/p>\n

The full audio recording of Sirisena’s meeting with foreign correspondents is given below;<\/p>\n\n\t

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