The Chairman of the Committee on Public Enterprise (COPE) MP Prof. Ranjith Bandara yesterday urged the Speaker to conduct an investigation via the Parliamentary Privileges Committee regarding the allegations leveled against him by the SJB MP Hesha Withanage that he had sexually influenced an officer of the Parliament.
Furthermore, MP Ranjith Bandara stated that if he is found guilty of the sexual bribe accusation, he will step down as a Member of Parliament, and that if he is found not guilty the Parliamentarian who raised the relevant allegation against him must be punished for violating his Parliamentary privileges.
MP Ranjith Bandara vehemently denied the sexual bribery allegations which were levelled against him by the Opposition. He stressed that his Parliamentary privileges have been violated through those accusations, which were levelled when he was absent within the chamber.
He added that he has given a written notice to the Speaker in this regard.
“Accusations have been hurled at me continuously for a week because I, as the Chairman of the COPE Committee, have called the Land Reforms Commission, the Janatha Estates Development Board (JEDB) and State Plantation Corporation to the COPE constantly,” he said.
“An inquiry was made regarding a certain serious land fraud during the Committee meeting. These inquiries were made after a question was raised by MP Mahindananda Alutgamage that there has been a fraud of billions of rupees. A senior MP’s name has also been withheld in connection with this incident,” the MP said.
“The second issue is that COPE will begin an investigation into fraud with regard to the Central Cultural Fund. There is a report of fraud before the COPE in this regard,” he said.
“The SLC has also been summoned to the COPE for three days. People who had deals with SLC may not like this. We are normal people. We are people who have come to these positions with great difficulty. We are people who have won scholarships and studied abroad. We have the money which we earned by doing jobs. Once former President Ranasinghe Premadasa said, ‘Assassinate me if you wish, but don’t assassinate my character’. I also say the same thing,” MP Ranjith Bandara said.
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