“Most cases are from 2015” – CIABOC DG explains why old cases are being pursued

Addressing concerns over the prioritization of corruption inquiries, Director General of the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC), Ranga Dissanayake, clarified that a “massive backlog” of legacy files primarily dating back to 2015 has required dedicated focus.

Speaking before the Committee on Public Finance (COPF), chaired by MP Dr. Harsha de Silva, Dissanayake responded to questions about the commission’s prioritisation of past cases and whether this could delay the handling of recent bribery and corruption complaints.

Dissanayake explained that inheriting decades old files from past Presidential Commissions made immediate intervention necessary to prevent cases from exceeding legal timeframes.

“When I looked at the statistics upon assuming office, the thing I noticed was a large number of very old files from a long time back… So what we did was give priority by setting up a special unit to handle these old matters,” Dissanayake added.

He revealed that an overwhelming portion of the active backlog stems from investigative commissions established a decade ago.

“A major portion comes from around 2015. An enormous number of files that came from those 2015 Presidential Commissions remained unresolved,” he noted, adding that around 70 major cases remained stagnant after 2019.To fix systemic delays, CIABOC has introduced strict timeframes. Preliminary inquiries, which previously dragged on for up to nine years, must now be concluded within one month.

Dissanayake reassured the committee that addressing legacy matters does not come at the expense of current complaints, with resources balanced to handle both old and new investigations simultaneously. (Newswire)