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Ex-aviation minister, private secretary charged under Bribery Act
View(s):By Ranjith Padmasiri
The Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) has filed a case against former Civil Aviation Minister Piyankara Jayaratne and his private secretary on charges of causing financial loss to the Government.
The CIABOC, in the plaint filed in the Colombo Chief Magistrate’s Court, alleges that Mr. Jayaratne had unlawfully created a new position for his private secretary B. Dayawansa and paid him a salary from state funds. The duo are being charged on five counts under the Bribery Act.
CIABOC in its plaint says Mr. Dayawansa resigned his post as Registrar of the Visual and Performing Arts University to take up a position as the former minister’s private secretary on January 3, 2011 for a fixed salary of Rs.23,000 a month. The job was given to him on condition that he would not work for another institution while being employed as the the minister’s private secretary. The plaint also says Mr. Dayawansa had subsequently demanded that he be paid a monthly salary of Rs. 62,327, which was the amount that he drew while working as the university registrar.
However, the request was rejected by the Cabinet. The plaint says the former minister then sent a written directive on August 8, 2011 to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) chairman, asking him to employ Mr. Dayawansa for the newly created position of “Development Plans Coordinating Officer.” On September 30, 2011, Mr. Dayawansa was appointed to the new post and paid a monthly salary of Rs. 63,000, though the Management Service Department had not approved the position. The plaint claims that the former minister had subsequently backdated Mr. Dayawansa’s new appointment to the day he assumed duties as his private secretary. Accordingly, he had been unlawfully paid salary arrears amounting to Rs.1,379,881, a travel allowance of Rs. 107,480 and a phone allowance of Rs.176,226. In addition, Mr. Dayawansa had undertaken three foreign trips utilising CAA funds, the plaint says.