(Lanka-e-News - 03.Oct.2025, 11.00 PM) Sri Lanka’s battle against corruption took an unusual twist this week when the Director General of the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC), Justice Ranga Dissanayake, found himself the subject of what he dismissed as “baseless and politically motivated accusations.”
Since his appointment as Director General earlier this year, Justice Dissanayake – a former Supreme Court judge – has infused fresh momentum into the Commission, pursuing cases against high-profile figures with unusual zeal. But, in parallel, an orchestrated campaign appears to have been launched to discredit him.
One such episode came in the form of a complaint to the very Commission he heads, alleging that a decade earlier he had improperly secured admission for his child to Colombo’s prestigious Royal College.
Speaking at a press conference yesterday(02), Dissanayake acknowledged the complaint but brushed it aside as groundless:
“Yes, a complaint was made. I told the Commission to investigate it independently, without my involvement. If I am guilty, punish me. If I am not, inform the public and clear my name. The Commission has now issued its findings – there is no evidence of wrongdoing.”
The Bribery Commission confirmed in a statement dated September 30 that a preliminary inquiry was carried out under Section 42(1) of the Anti-Corruption Act. Reports were sought from the Judicial Service Commission and from Royal College itself. The investigation concluded that the admission in 2014 had followed Education Ministry guidelines in line with a Supreme Court ruling covering the children of judicial officers. Other judicial officers’ children were admitted under the same provisions that year.
The Commission therefore resolved to close the complaint, declaring there was no proof of malpractice or bias.
Yet the matter has not ended there. Former JVP Central Committee member Nandana Gunathilaka – who later defected to the UNP – and MP Udaya Gammanpila both raised fresh accusations against Dissanayake at a separate media briefing. Gunathilaka claimed Dissanayake had once served on a JVP legal committee, casting doubt on his neutrality, while Gammanpila alleged that he had acted improperly under Section 19 of the Anti-Corruption Act and even intervened in favour of controversial financier Arjuna Mahendran.
Dissanayake hit back firmly:
“I began as a magistrate in 2004, became a Supreme Court judge in 2020, and now serve under a constitutional mandate. If Mr. Gunathilaka’s story is true, why was nothing said for 20 years? I have never sat on the committee he claims. If he makes an allegation, he must prove it.”
On Gammanpila’s charge regarding Mahendran, Dissanayake was equally dismissive:
“When I was Fort Magistrate, it was I who issued arrest warrants against Mahendran and Ravi Karunanayake. They appealed. That was eight years ago. If Mr. Gammanpila is serious, he should take his complaint to the Judicial Service Commission, not spread falsehoods in Parliament under privilege.”
He accused his detractors of a deliberate campaign to “undermine public trust in the Bribery Commission,” noting that Parliament’s privilege shield allows MPs to repeat allegations without legal consequence.
Dissanayake warned he was considering a civil defamation suit but said the Commission itself had already ruled that these allegations amounted to contempt under Section 18 of the Anti-Corruption Act:
“This is not just an attack on me as a person. It is an attempt to discredit the Commission as an institution. We will act accordingly.”
In a separate note, the Director General reminded the public that the new Proceeds of Crime Act, which came into effect on June 1, gives authorities sweeping powers to seize assets acquired illegally – even if no individual conviction has been secured.
“If an owner cannot provide a legitimate explanation for a property, vehicle, house or hotel, that asset can be confiscated. Complaints can be made directly to the Commission. It is not only individuals but their ill-gotten wealth that we are now pursuing.”
With Sri Lanka’s anti-corruption drive already under fierce political attack, Justice Dissanayake appears determined not to yield. His words yesterday signalled a tough line: the Commission, he said, “will not be intimidated by falsehoods dressed up as politics.”
Mr. Ranga Dissanayake's full video as follows
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by (2025-10-03 20:55:33)
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