"Responsibility of the parliament is to cleanse the institution" - D.E.W. Gunasekera

COLOMBO (News 1st) - General Secretary of the Communist Party and former Chairman of COPE D.E.W. Gunasekera has urged the parliament to take immediate remedial measures or face the consequences following the recent revelations of the bond scam. In an interview with The Island, Gunasekera said it is the responsibility of parliament to cleanse the institution. Gunasekera added that political parties and groups in parliament must be held responsible to cleanse and protect parliament. He said parliament was facing the worst post-independence crisis riddled with financial scandals involving an undisclosed number of lawmakers and Perpetual Treasuries Ltd. He alleged that payments received by lawmakers from Walt and Raw Associates and W.M. Mendis & Company, subsidiaries of PTL in the run-up to the August 17, 2015, parliamentary polls and after had caused irreparable damage to the parliamentary system. Referring to recent revelations regarding UPFA MP Dayasiri Jayasekera and State Minister Sujeewa Senasinghe receiving Rs 1 mn and 3 mn respectively, Gunasekera said the parliament should review its recent decision to re-appoint them to the COPE. Gunasekera pointed out that Attorney-at-law Senasinghe made a desperate bid to prevent him from releasing the first COPE report that extensively dealt with the first treasury bond scam perpetrated on the morning of Feb. 27, 2015. Gunasekera insisted that the treasury bond scam exposed many politicians and it also proved the judiciary, officers of the Attorney General’s Department as well as the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) could tackle any case if they were given a free hand.